
Qass_ 
Book_____XjS_B& 




EDMUND SYLVESTER 
The Founder of Ol^^mpia 



EARLY HISTORY 



OF 



Thurston County, Washington 

TOGETHER WITH 

BIOGRAPHIES AND REMINISCENCES 

OF THOSE IDENTIFIED WITH 

PIONEER DAYS 




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COMPILED AND EDITED 

BY 

MRS. GEORGE E. BLANKENSHIP 



OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON 
1914 



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Upon presenting this modest volume to the public the 
author desires to present a few facts regarding the aims and 
purposes of its publication. 

As I am not myself a pioneer or, in the proper conception 
of the term, an early settler, it may be necessary to explain 
why I should intrude in a field more properly the work of 
others. As one who crossed the plains three times in an ox 
wagon, and whose parents were inured to the hardships of 
frontier life, I myself took a deep interest in this subject. Upon 
coming to Puget Sound I found the ranks of the pioneers 
decreasing rapidly. With the modesty characteristic of this 
race of hardy empire builders, they had not appreciated the 
value of their work and its import to their posterity. They did 
not appreciate the fact that those who were to reap where 
they had sown would be eager to learn of the vicissitudes 
and hardships endured by their antecedents in this new em- 
pire for which they had laid the foundation — so vast that Atlas 
must needs square his shoulders to bear the burdens of an- 
other world — and without leaving proper records of their 
heroie and self-denying lives, they have one by one gone 
to a well-deserved rest, leaving but few today to detail the re- 
miniscences here related. The compiler, then, encouraged in 
the work, by many who desire to see a task accomplished, which 
they themselves had no inclination to undertake, offers this 
volume, with a sincere hope that it may to some extent endure 
as a record of the lives of many who made history in Thurston 
County in the early days. 

This publication makes no claim to literary merit, but 
aims to relate the simple annals of the pioneers' lives and 
vicissitudes in the language of the actors of that time. 

The work has been at once interesting and educating. 
Thrown in contact with these survivors of the late '40 's and 



early '50's one is astonished at the physical vig^or and meji 
tal brilliancy encountered. 

In one instance, in quest of facts regarding the early ex- 
periences of one old family, I was compelled to interview the 
maternal ancester, who complied cheerfully but said that in- 
asmuch as it was early Spring and she had her gardening to do 
she must ask her interviewer to call later in the evening when 
the day's tasks were done. 

Another old lady, who furnished a fund of information, 
was found vigorously sewing upon her own dresses and much 
interested in her wardrobe, which, however, contained no nar- 
row and slit skirts. 

These instances are presented not as exceptional in char- 
acter, but as typical of the people who left homes in the East 
to endure a perilous six months' trip over the trackless plains 
for a destination of which they knew nothing except that it 
promised a hard and perilous existence, with problematical 
results. They came, leaving their trail marked with mute evi- 
dences of severed family ties ; they saw, and before their vision 
unrolled a panorama of vast possibilities ; they conquered, first 
the savage Indian and then the none less wild forests and 
laid wide and deep the foundation for a State that must in 
time take rank with the first in this great Union. 

Then it was, that the wild nature of the country having 
been subdued, transcontinental railroads built and the country 
became a fit habitation for man, the work of these hard}- 
pioneers w^as done, their proud, erect forms were bent with 
age and hardship endured. The flashing eyes were dimmed, 
the heads ripened for the grave, and they must reap slight re- 
ward for their self-denial and hardships. Even the United 
States Government was tardy in acknowledging their worth 
and bestowing a well-deserved pension upon these empire 
builders to aid them in their declining years. Indeed, the 
great majority had sought their reward in another world, when 
the Federal Government passed a law granting Indian war 
veterans pensions. Few there were then to receive it and they 
not long to be beneficiaries. 

Let posterity, then, do its duty in granting the early settle^- 
his just due in respect and homage. 



WAIL OF AN OLD SETTLER. 



Some say this country's improving 

And boast of its commerce and trade, 

But measured by social enjoyment, ■ 

I find it has really decayed. 

In the pioneer days on the Sound 
When the people had little to wear, 
And subsisted on clams the year 'round, 
"We'd hearty good fellowship here. 

The thoughtful, industrious old settler 
Was so fond of obliging a friend, 
That if anyone wanted his tools 
He'd always quit working to lend. 

At our gatherings for pastoral pleasure — 
Dance, picnic or social knockdown, 
One man was as good as another, 
No kind of distinction was shown. 

And even the climate is changing, 
For only some ten years ago, 
Strawberries got ripe in December 
Whilst now it brings four feet of snow. 

— Francis Henry. 



QtBtoriral jg(kptrl| 



It is not necessary to the purposes of this brief historiciil 
sketch to detail the events connected with the early voyages 
of discovery to the Northwest, although they constituted the 
basis upon which Spain, Great Britain and the United States 
asserted claims to the Northwest Coast. 

Russia claimed north of the 51st degree, with all adjacent 
islands ; Spain claimed to the 55th degree by right of discovery ; 
Great Britain asserted no exclusive right to particular portions 
of the coast, but maintained that the voyages of Drake, Cook, 
Meares and Vancouver to the coast ; the overland voyages of 
Mackenzie and Thomson, followed by the formation of estab- 
lishments within the territory "conferred a right of joint oc- 
cupancy with other states, leaving the right of exclusive do 
minion in abeyance." 

At the outset of the controversy the United States' claim 
was two-fold : First, in its own right, based upon the dis- 
covery of the Columbia river by Captain Gray; the explora- 
tion of that river by Lewis and Clark, followed by settlements 
by its citizens upon its banks. Upon the principal that the 
discovery of a river followed by acts of occupancy, secured a 
right to the territory such river drained, the United States 
asserted claim to the territory west of the Rocky IMountains 
lying between 42 and 51 degrees north, subject, however, to 
the rights of Spain of prior discoveries of islands and lands 
upon the coast. Second, as successor to France. 

By the Louisiana purchase of 1803, the United States ac- 
(juired the right of continuity of the territory west of the 
^Mississippi river to the Pacific Ocean, of the breadth of that 
province, its north line being the boundary between the Hud- 
son's Bay territory and the French provinces in Canada. Ne- 
gotiations between the United States and Great Britain were 
commenced early in the century ; the war of 1812 intervened ; 



THURSTON COUNTY 7 

Astoria, captured during that war, had been restored. In 181 S. 
the condition was slightly changed by the convention which 
permitted a joint occupancy of the territory by citizens and 
subjects of both nations, really a non-occupancy by the nations 
themselves, for they but agreed that they would not exclude 
the citizens of the other, nor gain any right or claim by virtue 
of the occupancy by their own citizens. On the 22nd of Feb- 
luary, 1819, the United States, by the Florida treaty, acquired 
from Spain all that nation's rights to land upon the Pacific 
Coast north of 42nd degree north latitude. In 1824 and 1825 
ihe United States and Great Britain haa respectively con- 
cluded treaties with Russia by which 54 degrees 40 minutes 
north latitude was established as the south boundary of Rus- 
sian possessions on the Northwest Coast. 

In 1827 the joint occupancy treaty was renewed, with 
the modification that either nation could abrogate it by giving 
twelve months' notice. The Oregon question continued to be 
agitated until June 15. 1846, the United States Senate advised 
President Polk to accept the treaty of limits then offered. By 
that treaty 49 degrees north was fixed as the northern bound- 
ary. But the treaty of 1846 proved but a temporization, not h 
settlement. It yielded to Great Britain all of Vancouver Island, 
but was vague as to water boundaries. The indistinct recog- 
nition of the possessory rights of the Hudson Bay and Puget 
Sound Agricultural Companies, almost wholly in Washington, 
left much for controversy. In 1859, war was imminent, groAV- 
ing out of dispte as to sovereignty as to San Juan Island. 
This difficulty was temporized by a military joint occupancy 
A special treaty enabled the United States to secure by pur- 
chase the extinguishment of the possessory rights of the Hud- 
son Bay Company' and Puget Sound Agricultural Company. 
Not until 1872, by the award of the German Emperor, was the 
water boundary adjusted and the Oregon controversy finally 
settled. 

What was known as the provisional government of Oregon 
was organized in July, 1845, and all that country north of 
the Columbia River formed a single County known as Van- 
couver District. Sir James Douglas, M. T. Simmons and John 
Forrest were the first County Commissioners. Douglas was 
connected with the Hudson Bay Company and Simmons came 



8 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

into the country in the year 1844, with a company from 
Missouri. 

Lewis County was organized in 1846, and embraced all 
the territory lying north of the Columbia river and west of 
the Cowlitz River. Dr. W. T. Tolmie, of Nisqually, was elected 
the first representative. 

In April, 1845, at Washougal, Mrs. M. T. Simmons gave 
birth to the first white child born north and west of the Co- 
lumbia River. In March, 1846, Mrs. James McAllister gave 
birth to a son, the first born in the Puget Sound region. In 
the Summer of 1846, Mrs. Sidney S. Ford gave birth to a 
daughter, the first American girl born north and west of the 
Columbia River. The child after became Mrs. John Shelton 

The first marriage recorded in the Colony was at "New 
]\Iarket, Puget Sound, at the house of ]\Ir. Davis, on the 6t}j 
day of July, by Judge Simmons, Mr. Daniel F. Kinsey to Miss 
Ruth Brock of the former place." 

In August of 1847, Jesse Ferguson, Col. Simmons, Frank 
Shaw, E. Sylvester, A. B. Rabbeson, Gabriel Jones. A. D. Carne- 
fix and John Kindred formed a company for the purpose of 
building a sawmill at New Market, named the Puget Sound 
Milling Company. The site was the northwest part of the 
Lower Falls. The mill was completed during the winter of 
that year. 

On August 24, 1847, a trail Avas made between Smithfield 
(Olympia) and New Market (Tumwater). 

In the Fall of 1847. there arrived in this section Thomas 
M. Chambers and his sons, David, Andrew, Thomas J. and 
McLain, also a Mr. Brail and Geo. Shaser. 

The last election held in Lewis County under the Pro- 
visional Government was in 1848, when Levi Lathrop Smith 
was elected Repreesntative to the Oregon Provisional Legisla- 
ture and A. B. Rabbeson was elected Sheriff. Mr. Smith did 
not live to enter upon the duties of his office. While in a 
canoe on his way to New Market in August he was seized 
with an epileptic fit and drowned. This was the first recorded 
death of an American in this section. 

Mr. Smith was a partner of Edmund Sylvester in joint 
claims owned by them. Under the partnership clause of the 
land laM^s of Oregon's Provisional Government the occupancy 



THURSTON COUNTY 9 

of claims by each party for the benefit of the firm was per- 
missable. Smith resided on the Smithfield claim and Sylvester 
occupied a prairie farm near the Sound. Thus, upon the death 
i>f Smith, Sylvester, as the survivor of the firm, became owner 
of the present site of the City of Olympia. He moved thereon 
and built the first hotel. It was 16x2-1, built of logs and con- 
tained two rooms. 

Rev. Pascal Ricard and a small party of Oblat mission- 
aries in June, 1818, established the St. Joseph Mission, on 
the site of the present city park, on the east of Budd's Inlet. 
The Mission continued for several years. Hence the name by 
which the point has since been known, and which name is 
now given to Olympiads splendid playground — Priest Point 
Park. Another settlement was made about this time almost 
directly across the inlet from Priest Point by Samuel Han- 
cock. This claim later became the property of Conrad 
Schneider. 

The Territorial Government of Oregon was established on 
August 14, 1848, and included all the Pacific possessions of the 
United States north to the 32nd parallel, this line being fixed 
by treaty between the United States and Great Britain. 

The development of this section of the Oregon territory 
was greatly retarded soon after its organization by the gold 
discoveries made in California, which caused a stampede from 
the Northwest, and considerably reduced the male popula- 
tion, who preferred to try their fortunes in the gold fields 
rather than continue the pursuit of fortune along slower but 
more certain lines. Farms were abandoned ; in many cases 
crops were not planted, or, if planted, were left neglected and 
unharvested. 

After the arrival of Governor Lane to assume the duties 
of his office as first Governor of Oregon Territory, Judicial 
districts were proclaimed and Judges assigned in two, but 
the third Judicial district which constituted Lewis County, 
was left without an official clothed with authority to afford 
protection in all the territory north of the Columbia River. 

The first American vessel owned by Washington Terri- 
tory residents hailed from Olympia, on Puget Sound, and was 
called the Orbit. She arrived at Olj'mpia on Ncav Years day. 



10 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

1850, and loaded with piles for San Francisco. Her owners 
were Messrs. Sylvester, Jackson, Moore, Shaw and Ebey. 

The first Legislatnre under Oregon Territorial Government 
convened at Oregon City, July, 184:9. Lewis County was then 
included in a Representative and Council district with Clat- 
sop County (now Oregon), and was represented by Samuel 
T. McKean, of Clatsop, as Councilman, and M. T. Simmons, 
as Representative. The session continued one hundred days. 

Thomas W. Glascow settled on a claim at what is known 
as Ebey's Landing, Whidby Island, in 1848, and after some 
preliminary work returned to New Market (Tumwater) and 
induced A. D. Carnefix and A. B. Rabbeson to return to his 
new home with him. At the head of Hood's Canal, which thev 
desired to explore, while on their way, they found Indians, 
many of whom had never beheld a white man. Though Carne- 
fix returned home at the head of the Sound, Rabbeson and 
Glascow continued their voyage and in July reached the new 
liome of the latter. 

About this time there was held in this vicinity a council 
of Puget Sound Indians, called together by the Chief of the 
Snoqualmies, Patkanim. The object of this meeting was to 
induce all the Sound Indians to combine and annihilate the 
white settlers. Patkanim w^as the leader in the effort to 
bring about hostilities. He urged that it was only a matter 
of a short time when the whites would outnumber the In- 
dians, and the latter would then be transported to a land 
where the sun never shone, and would there be left to die. 
One of the great arguments used by this crafty statesman 
and warrior, however, was that by conquering the whites the 
indians would acquire a large amount of property. 

This Avar-like spirit was strongly opposed by the Indians 
from the Upper Sound, who felt quite friendly to the whites. 
This pacific attitude of the Indians about the head of the 
Sound was due to the fact that the stronger tribes on the 
lower Sound had made war on the weaker ones and made 
slaves of those of the Indians that they took captives. The 
presence of the white in and about Smithfield and New Market 
had proved a protection to their Indian neighbors. More 
thaji this the whites had thus far proven themselves scrupu- 
lously honest in their dealings with the Indians and thus had 



THURSTON COUNTY 11 

the "King- George" or "Boston Men" won their confidence. 

This opposition to hostilities came near causing a fight 
on the council grounds. Rabbeson and Glascow, seeing that 
it would be unsafe to remain in the neighborhood left, the 
latter abandoning his claim. 

In the Spring of 1849, a party of Snoqualmie Indians 
made an attack on the Hudson Bay Company's fort at Nis- 
qually, in which Leander C. Wallace w^as killed and two men, 
Lewis and Walker, were womided. 

From accounts derived from various sources the following 
appear to be the facts : A force of Snociualmies .visited the 
fort, ostensibly to settle a dispute with the Nisqually tribe. 
There appears to have been a force varying according to sev- 
eral accounts, from 100 to 150. Patkanim was wnthin the fort 
conferring with Dr. Tolmie, the Agent, while the gates were 
closed against the other Indians. Wallace, Lewis and Walker, 
visitors at the fort, together with one. Chas. Wren, outside 
the fort, noticed hostile demonstrations on the part of tlu 
Indians, and apprehending danger, retreated towards the 
gates. Wren reached it and tried to enter, but was pre- 
vented from within. The discharge of a gun at this timi- 
precipitated an attack. It was fired into the air by a guard 
on the inside, preparatory to reloading, and was used as a 
pretext for the attack. A volley was then fired from the fort 
and the Indians retreated. 

Wallace was the first white man killed by Indians on 
Puget Sound. The Indians were induced for a consideration 
of eighty blankets, to deliver up the murderers for trial. This 
method of dealing was strongly resented by Governor Lane, 
as it could be construed as putting a premium rather than 
a punishment on such outrages. 

However, before he could prevent it the deal, which had 
been authorized by an Indian Agent for this district, had been 
consummated and six Snoqualmie Indians given up by the 
crafty Patl^anim. 

At a special term of court held in Ft. Steilacoom the six 
prisoners were indicted, tried, and two convicted, who were 
leaders in the attack. The remaining four were acquitted. 
A vast conclave of Indians were present at the execution, 
which occurred the day following conviction. 



12 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

This -was the first United States court held North of the 
Columbia Eiver. It Avas convened on the 1st day of October, 
the trial continued through the second day and upon the third 
day the two Indians were suspended, as mute object lessons 
to the Indians that the law must be respected. Some of the 
jurors who participated in this trial traveled two hundred 
miles from their homes to reach the court. The summary 
justice then dealt out could be well used as object lessons 
for more modern courts. 

Chief Justice Bryant presided at this trial. The prosecu- 
tion was conducted by Judge Alonzo A. Skinner and the Court 
assigned David Stone, then Prosecuting Attorney for the 
Third Judicial District to defend the Indians. 

Edmund Sylvester, who by the death of his partner, had 
become sole owner of the claim they had located at the head 
of Budd's Inlet, in 1850, laid off the claim as a town site and 
named it Olympia. The name suggests the idea that even in 
this remote region with rude environments, there were those 
conversant with the classics. The name was bestowed by 
Charles H. Smith, who together with Mr. Simmons, had that 
year established a store in the new settlement, at the corner 
of Main and Second Streets. The name was doubtless sug- 
gested by the beautiful views spread out before them at the 
head of the Sound, where to the North the Olympic Range was 
visible and to the East old Rainier reared his majestic head. 

At this period, of course, the methods of living by the 
inhabitants were most primitive. Little in the way of house- 
hold necessities had reached the new settlement and luxurier^ 
were not missed by these hardy pioneers. 

Only the necessaries of life and those fancy articles which 
appealed to the Indians were dealt in at the time. However, 
in 1852, George A. Barnes opened a general merchandise stor? 
at the West end of First Street, from which time business as- 
sumed more pretentious proportions. Later business houses 
were opened by A. J. Moses, J. G. Parker, Sam Coulter, L. 
Bettman, Goldman & Rosenblatt, and Louisson & Company. 
As Olympia was the only town on the Sound a customs house 
was established here in 1851. 

Upon the reciept of news of the discovery of gold on 
Queen Charlotte's Island, this year, a schooner was chartered 



THURSTON COUNTY 13 

by Samuel Williams, J. Colvig, William Billings, S. D, ITowe. 
Charles Weed, S. S. Ford and three Sargent Brothers to go 
to the new fields. The schooner was wrecked on the East 
side of the island, plundered by the Indians and the gold- 
seekers taken prisoners. They were rescued by a revenue 
cutter and troops from Steilacoom and returned home after 
two months' absence. 

The year 1852 found the settlers in fair condition with 
brighter prospects, for coal had been discovered and saw- 
mills had been established on the Sound, and these industries 
had caused a few shipments to be made to San Francisco, the 
beginning of a trade that was destined at a later date to grow 
to such dimensions. 

The Sound country, which then constituted the Northern 
part of the Territory of Oregon, was isolated. Many of the 
towns and settlements were five hundred miles from the 
seat of government, and under such conditions the settlers 
here received little attention or consideration from the Ter- 
ritorial Legislature, though at this period it was considered 
that Lewis County, that section north of Cowlitz County, con- 
tained a little over three hundred inhabitants, of Avhich 180 
were citizens. 

Pacific County was created in 1851 and in 1852 a new 
County was created to include the territory west of the Cas- 
cade Mountains and north of the Cowlitz divide. The ne"\^' 
('Ounty was named Thurston, after Samuel R. Thurston, a 
highly cultured gentleman who had been elected to Congress 
by the factions opposed to the Hudson Bay Company. Thurs- 
ton died at sea April 9, 1851, while returning from the Na- 
tional Capitol His remains were buried at Acapulco, though 
Ihey were afterward brought to Salem, Oregon, and buried, 
marked with a stone bearing this inscription: "Here rests 
Oregon's delegate, a man of genius and learning, a lawyer and 
statesman, his Christian virtues equalled by his wide philan- 
throphy. His public acts are his best euloguim." 

In accordance with the act creating the new County of 
Thurston an election was held in June, 1852, at which the fol- 
lowing officers were elected : A. J. Simmons, Sheriff ; A. M. 
Poe, County Clerk; D. R. Bigelow, Treasurer; R. S. Bailey, 



14 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

Assessor ; Edmund Sylvester, Coroner ; A. A. Denny, S. S. Ford 
and David Shelton, County Commissioners. 

The records of tlie first session of the County Commis- 
sioners, shows the following business transacted : 

The tax levy was fixed at -t mills for County purposes, 
11/2 mills for schools, IV2 millfi Territorial, and $1 poll tax. 

T. F. MeElroy and Geo. Barnes were appointed Justices; 
of the Peace. 

Road districts were established and Wm. Paclru^ood was 
authorized to establish a ferry on the Nisqually River. 

Precincts were established as follows: Skagit precinct. 
Whidby Island and all islands north. Port Townsend pre- 
cinct, territory north of Hood's Canal on the west side of 
the Sound. Duwamish precinct, east side of Sound north of 
Puyallup River and all south of Hood's Canal to the parallel 
of the north parallel of the Puyallup river on west side of 
Sound. Steilacoom precinct, territory north of Nisqually 
River to the Puyallup on the east side of the Sound and thence 
due west to mouth of Nisqually River to the parallel of the 
mouth of the Puyallup. Olympia precinct, territory south of 
Steilacoom precinct. 

For school purposes : Olympia precinct contained dis 
tricts 1 and 2; Duwamish was designed as one district, Skagit 
precinct, one district; Port Townsend precinct as one district. 

The fir.st term of the district Court was convened at Olym- 
pia this year and Elwood Evans, D. R. Bigelow, Quincy A. 
Ijrooks and S. H. Moses were admitted to practice. 

Thornton F. McElroy and J. W. Wiley printed the first. 
newspaper published in Thurston County. It was called the 
Columbian and the first issue appeared on September 11, 1852. 

The regular district school opened this year and was 
taught by David L. Phillips. 

The pioneer settlers now began to feel the absolute ne- 
cessity for a division of the territory and desired to be set aside 
from Oregon. Agitation along these lines resulted in a call 
for a convention to meet at Monticello November 25, 1852. 
Monticello was then a considerable settlement on the Cow- 
litz River. 

Thurston County sent as delegates to this convention ^l. 



THURSTON COTJNTY 15 

T. Simmons, S. D. Ruddle, S. P. Moses, Adam Wylie. Q. A. 
l>rooks and C, H. Hale. 

The result of this convention was that Congress was mem- 
orialized to create the Territory of Columbia out of that por- 
tion of Oregon lying north and west of the Columbia River. 
There was no opposition on the part of the people of Oregon 
to this separation, and the result was that the new territory 
was created by an Act signed by the President on ]\Iarch 3. 
1853. Congress, however, overruled the people in the matter 
of a name for the new territory, and inasmuch as there was 
already a District of Columbia, it was decided to honor the 
Father of His Country — hence the Territory of Washington. 

A school house was erected in the Fall of 1852 on the now 
northwest corner of Sixth and Fi-anklin Streets, Olympia, The 
structure was a frail one and succumbed under a heavy fall 
of snow during the winter. It was rebuilt later. 

The tide of immigration now set in quite strong, and de- 
mand for lumber increasing, a mill was built at New Market 
by Ira Ward, N. Barnes and S. Hays, with a daily output of 
3,000 feet per day. 

In January, 1853, before the new Territorial Government 
became effective, the Oregon Territorial Legislature created 
the Counties of Pierce. King, Island and Jefferson, all out of 
Thurston County, leaving the latter to include only the pres- 
ent Counties of Thurston, Chehalis and iMason. 

President Pierce, soon after his inauguration, appointed 
Isaac I. Stevens as Governor of the new Territory ; Chas. H. 
Mason, Secretary; J. S. Clendennin, Attorney; J. Patton An- 
derson, Marshal; Edward Lander, Chief Justice; Victor IMon- 
roe and 0. B. McFadden, Associate Justices. 

]\Iarshal Anderson's first oft'icial act was to cause a cen 
^^us to be taken, and a population of 3,965 was reported, oi 
which 1682 were voters. 

Transportation and mail facilities in 1853 were very un- 
satisfactory for the residents of the Sound region. At this 
time connection was made with Portland by means of a stage 
which left Olympia every Tuesday, connecting with boats on 
the Cohmibia. Later, however, B. F. Yantis and A. B. Ral)- 
beson formed a partnership for the purpose of running a 



16 HISTORICAL, SKETCH 

stage line, and advertised to put their passengers through ir. 
twelve hours. 

In 1853 the resources of the County began to be devel- 
oped. A little coal was mined, a bed of natural oysters was 
discovered on Budd's Inlet, and hewed timber was quoted at 
16 to 18 cents per cubic foot, shingles $-4.50 to $5.00 per thous- 
and and cordwood $4.00 per cord. 

The necessity for an emigrant route over the Cascades 
led to a public meeting being held in Thurston County and 
a committee appointed to view out a route, and a road through 
the Natchez pass was the result, which was a means of greatly 
stimulating emigration. 

In the Summer of 1853, a census taken for Thurston 
County showed a population of 996. The first grand and 
petit jurors were drawn at this time. 

Governor Stevens reached Olympia on November 25, 
1853, five months and nineteen days from St. Paul. Secretary 
Charles H. Mason had already arrived. 

Among those ready to welcome the new Governor to tho 
Sound were Colonel William Cock, Shirley Ensign, D. E. Bige- 
low, Geo. A. Barnes. H. A. Goldsborough, Jno. M. Swan, C. 
H. Hale. Judge B. P. Yantis, Judge Gilmore Hays, Jno. G. 
Parker, Quincy A. Brooks, Dr. G. K. Willard, CoI.":\I. T. Sim- 
mons, Capt. Clanrick Crosby, Ira Ward, James Biles. Joseph 
Cushman, S. W. Percival, Edwin ^Marsh. R. M. Walker, Levi 
and James Offut, J. C. Head, W. Dobbins. Isaac Hawk. Rev. 
Geo. F. Whitworth, Jared S. Hurd, H. R. Woodward, B. F. 
Brown, and M. Hurd. 

The arrival of the new Governor was the most momentou.s 
event that had occurred in the history of Olympia. and on his 
appearance in the garb of a hardy frontiersman he was given 
a hearty welcome and reception at the Washington Hotel 
(now standing) at the corner of ]Main and Second Streets, 
and when, a little later Governor Stevens delivered a lecture, 
giving the results of his explorations for a Northern trans- 
continental route, the enthusiasm of the pioneers was 
boundless. 

Immediately upon arrival of the Governor, he issued :i 
proclamation establishing election districts, and appointing 
January 30, 1854, as the time for holding an election for dele- 



THTJRSTON COUNTY 17 

gate to Congress, and members of the Legislature, which was 
to meet in Olympia February 28th. 

The Governor appointed M. T. Simmons Indian Agent for 
the Puget Sound Indians and sent him to visit the various 
tribes, and bear a message of friendship from the White 
Father. 

The first political campaign in Thurston County was an 
exciting one, in which three parties participated, the Demo- 
cratic, Whig and Union. The Legislative nominees on the re- 
spective tickets were as follows : 

Democratic — For Councilman, D. R. Bigelow and S. D. 
Ruddell; for Representatives, L. D. Durgin, George Gallaher, 
David Shelton and A. J. Chambers. 

Union — For Councilman, D. R. Bigelow and B. F. Yan- 
tis; for Representatives, A. W. Moore, F. W. Glascow, S. S. 
Fc^-d, and James H. Roundtree. 

Whig — For Councilman, B. F. Yantis and E. J. Allen; 
for Representatives, Ira Ward, C. H. Hale, J. L. Brown, Galla- 
tin Hartsock. 

After a short but hard-fought campaign the following 
were elected : Councilmen, B. F. Yantis and D. R. Bigelow ; 
Representatives, L. D. Durgin, David Shelton, Ira Ward, and 
C. H. Hale. 

Judge Columbus Lancaster was elected first Delegate to 
Congress. 

Upon convening of the Legislature in a small two-story 
building on Main Street, between Second and Third, the Gov- 
ernor delivered an able message, in which he predicted a bril- 
liant future for the new territory, much of which has already 
been realized; urged County and school organization and the 
organization of a militia. He dwelt on the importance of 
extinguishing the Indian titles and the claims of the Hudson 
Bay and Puget Sound Agricultural Companies and settling 
the boundary line of the British side, and advised the Leg- 
islature to memorialize Congress for the appointment of a 
Surveyor-General to facilitate the survey of the lands, and 
advocated many other salutary measures which were promptly 
adopted by the Legislature except the recommendation re- 
garding a militia. This proved a bad oversight as later de- 



iS HISTORICAL SKETCH 

velopments showed, when two years later the Indians became 
hostile. 

Governor Stevens purchased Block 84, Olympia, for his fu- 
ture home, and a tract of ten acres in what is now known 
as Maple Park. He also contracted for the purchase of the 
north half of the Walker donation claim, between Olympia 
and Tnmwater. 

Governor Stevens, amid his other duties, worked with 
zeal on the reports of his exploration for the Northern trans- 
continental route and was assisted by Capt. MeClellan (after- 
guards Gen. Geo. B. MeClellan) and others. Governor Stevens'" 
offices were in two one-story buildings on the West side of 
Main Street, between Second and Third Streets. 

The Governor reported to Secretary of War Jefferson 
0. Davis on his exploration and later received peremptory 
orders to bring his operations along these lines to a close, 
which he did, but not without urging, their continuance at a 
later day. The opposition with which Governor Stevens met 
in this regard was doubtless due to the eagerness of the future 
President of the Southern Confederacy for a Southern trans- 
continental route. 

The acts of the first Legislature affecting Thurston County 
was that of creating Chehalis County out of the southwest 
part of the former and Sawamish out of the northwest sec- 
tion, thus materially reducing the area of Thurston. The 
name of the latter County was afterward chajiged to Mason, 
after the first Secretary of the Territory. 

Also a road was ordered located between Olympia and 
Shoalwater Bay; from Cathlamet to S. S. Ford's in Thurston 
County; Olympia to the mouth of the Columbia River, and 
Olympia to Monticello. 

The Legislature also appointed County officers for the 
various Counties, and the following were assigned for Thurs- 
ton County: County Commissioners, S. S. Ford, David J. 
Chambers and James McAllister; Auditor, U. E. Hicks; Sher- 
iff, Frank Kennedy; Assessor, Whi'tfield Kertley; Probate 
Judge, Stephen D. Ruddle ; County Treasurer, D. R. Bigelow ; 
School Superintendent, Elwood Evans ; William Plumb, Nathan 
Eaton and Joseph Broshears, Justices of the Peace. 



THURSTON COUNTY Yi 

Stephen Ruddle deelming the Prol3ate Judgeship, Joseph 
Cushman was appointed in his place, r . .:; . 

The County Commissioners adopted measures^ protecting 
the school interests in the matter of .public lauds; fixed the 
license fee for retailing liquor at $100. for six. months, and 
l)owling alleys at $25 per annum, and accepted a report from 
Thos. J. Chambers, who had been appointed to mark out a 
quarter section of land for the benefit of a County seat to be 
the most valuable unclaimed land within the limits of the 
County. Mr. Chambers reported in favor of section 19, town- 
ship 18, range 1 West, 

The tax rolls for 1854 showed a valuation of $418,140 
and the rate of taxation was fixed at 3 mills. 

The Commissioners this year authorized the construction 
of a bridge across the Bay on the Eastside at a cost of $500, 
and one across the Skookumchuck, for which they appropriated 
$1,000. The former bridge was built at a cost of $1,500, $1,000 
being subscribed for that purpose. 

Up to this time no proper provision had been made for 
County offices and records were kept in a very temporary 
manner. The Commissioners now authorized a contract for 
a Court House to cost not to exceed $1,200 and ordered the 
Auditor to procure suitable books for the records. 

At the election in 1854 three tickets were in the field. 
Free Soil, Democratic and Whig. 

There were no local issues involved and the battle was 
fought along the lines agitated in the East. The straight 
Democratic County ticket was elected, as follows : 

Eepresentatives, Wm. Cock, B. L. Henness, Stephen Guth-^ 
rie, Wm. P. Wells; County Commissioners, Levi Shelton, S. S. 
Ford, John Low; Probate Judge, Joseph Cushman; School 
Superintendent, D. R. Bigelow; Auditor, U. E. Hicks; Treas- 
urer, Wm. Rutledge ; Sheriff, A. B. Rabbeson ; Assessor, Wm. 
Packwood; Coroner, A. J. Baldwin. J. Patton Anderson, who 
had come to the Territory as United States Marshal, was 
elected as Delegate to Congress. 

During this period Governor Stevens returned East, spend- 
ing much of his time at the National Capitol, in the interests 
of his Territory. Much of the legislation secured for Wash- 
ington was due to his efforts, which included needed amend- 



20 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

ments to the land laws and the creation of the offce of Sur- 
veyor General, and making appropriations for surveys and 
mail service. 

Governor Stevens and his family left New York City for 
the Territory September 20, 1854, and arrived at their new 
home in December. A pen picture of the impression gained 
by the family, upon their arrival, as described by General 
Stevens, showed conditions as they then prevailed : 

"It was a dreary dark December day. It had rained 
considerably. The road from Tumwater to Olympia Avas ankle 
deep in mud and thrided a dense forest with a narrow track. 
With expectations raised at the idea of seeing the Capital and 
chief town of the Territory, the weary travelers toiled up a 
small hill in the edge of the timber, reached the summit and 
eagerly looked to see the new metropolis. Their hearts sank 
with bitter disappointment as they surveyed the dismal and 
forlorn scene before them. A low, flat neck of land, running 
into the bay, down it stretched the narrow, muddy track, 
winding among the stumps, which stood thickly on either side 
twenty small wooden houses bordered the road, while back of 
them on the left and next the shore were a number of Indian 
lodges, with canoes drawn up on the beach, and Indians and 
dogs lounging about." The little hill mentioned is where the 
IMasonic Temple now stands, opposite the new Federal building. 
The site of the Indian camp is now Columbia Street, between 
Third and Fourth. There were only one or two buildings 
above, or south of Sixth Street. The public square was a 
tangle of fallen timber. Main street terminated in Giddings' 
wharf, which was left high and dry at low tides." 

It is not a matter of surprise that the Governor's family 
were appalled at the appearance of their future home, accen- 
tuated as it was by the hardships of the trip from the East, 
the latter part of which is thus described : 

"* * * The party took canoes (at a point named Rainier), 
manned by Indians, crossed the Columbia and paddled a few 
miles up the Cowlitz to Monticello, where they spent the night. 
At daylight the next morning the Governor and family em- 
barked in one canoe, while the trunks and baggage followed 
in another, and pushed up stream against a swift current. 
There were in the canoe the Governor, his wife and four 



THURSTON COUNTY 21 

ohildren, the nurse and a crew of four Indians, two on each 
end. It was a dark, drizzling day, with frequent showers. 
The passengers sat upon the bottom of the canoe upon plenty 
of Indian mats and well wrapped in blankets, and, except for 
the strained and irksome position w^ere fairly comfortable. 
The Indians, urged by promises of extra pay, paddled vigor- 
ously. At the rapids (and it seemed that nearly all the stream 
Avas in rapids) they laid aside their paddles, and, standing 
up, forced the canoe ahead with poles, which they wielded with 
great skill and vigor. * * * It was dark when they reached 
Cowlitz Landing, thirty miles from Monticello." 

Mrs. Stevens continues the narrative, here quoted, as a 
vivid description of the- methods of travel in this section at 
that time : 

"* * * We walked ankle deep in mud to a small log 
house, where we had a good meal. Here we found a number 
of rough, dirty-looking men, with pantaloons tucked inside 
their boots, and so much hair upon their heads and faces that 
they all looked alike. After tea we were shown a room to 
sleep in, full of beds, which were for the women. I was so 
worn out with the novel way of traveling, that I laid down 
on a narrow strip of bed, not undressed, all my family along- 
side on the same bed. The Governor sat on a stool near by, 
and, strange to say, slept sound through the long, dismal night. 
He had been shown his bed up through a hole on top of the 
shanty. He said one look was sufficient. Men were strewn 
as thick as possible on the floor in their blankets. The steam 
generated from their wet clothes, boots and blankets was 
stifling. One small hole cut through the roof was the only 
ventilation. As soon as breakfast was over the next morn- 
ing, we mounted a wagon without springs and proceeded on 
our journey. There surely were no worse roads in the world 
than this. The horses went down deep into the mud every 
step ; the wheels sank to the hub, and often had to be pried 
out. We forded rivers, the water coming above our ankles in 
the wagon. Many big, deep holes they would jump over, 
making the horses run quick, when the wagon would jump 
across, shaking us up fearfully. In one of these holes the 
horses fell down, and we stuck fast in the mud. We were 
taken from the wagon by men of our party, plunging up to 



22 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

their knees in mud, and carrying us out by sheer force of 
their strength. After seating us upon a fallen log, the horses 
were, with difficulty, extricated from the mud. After an- 
other long day's tiresome travel we stopped at a log house 
for the night." 

The Governor's party proceeded the following day through 
a drizzling rain, with the roads all but impassible. At Saun- 
ders Bottom, where the Town of Chehalis now stands, the mud 
was knee deep for two miles. This day the party made 25 
miles. The travelers reached Olympia the next day, after 
30 miles' travel, upon a somewhat better road. Such were 
the hardships endured by those looking for new homes in the 
far Northwest, but harder yet were the experiences of those 
reaching here by way of the Natchez Pass, as many were com- 
ing that way. 

An idea of the cost of living during- this period, may be 
gleaned from the following market report, published in the 
onl}' paper printed in the Territory at that time : 

Potatoes, per bushel, $3; flour, $'10 per 100 pounds; pork, 
20 cents ; butter, $1 per pound ; onions, .$4 ber bushel ; eggs, 
$1 a dozen ; beets, .'|;3.50 per bushel ; sugar, 121/2 cents ; coffee, 
18 cents ; tea, $1 ; molasses, 75 cents ; salmon, 10 cents. Sawed 
lumber for $20 per thousand ; cedar, $30 ; shingles, $4.50 ; piles, 
per foot, 5 to 8 cents ; square timber, per foot, 12 to 15 cents. 

In December, 1854, W. B. Goodell established a stage line 
between Olympia and Cowlitz via Grand Mound, leaving 
Olympia on Tuesdaj's and Fridays of each week. At Cowlitz, 
near the present site of Toledo, it made connections with 
boats for Monticello and Portland. Olympia to Grand Mound, 
$3.50 ; to Cowlitz, $10.00. 

W. W. Miller built a saw mill the latter part of 1854 on 
the East side of Budd's Inlet, a short distance below the 
town, and the old Masonic hall was built on the site of the 
more pretentious Temple of today. In this old building the 
Legislative session of 1855 w^as held. Edward Giddings built 
a wharf, 300 feet long, at the foot of Main Street, which was 
used for many j^ears. Later it was extended to deep water 
and was used until the Government deepened the channel for 
a nearer approach to the town. 

In 1855, Samuel Coulter, who had been appointed As- 



THURSTON COUNTY 23 

sessor, reported the valuation of taxable property at $396,825, 
and a levy of 4 mills was made. The County debt, at the same 
time amounted to $4,388.29. 

Among other duties devolving upon the Legislature of 
1855 was that of permanently locating the seat of Govern- 
ment. Hon. Arthur A. Denny was a member of the House 
from King County, and spoke as follows upon the subject: 

"Mr. Speaker: — I propose to do now what I have not 
done before : I propose to say now what I have not heretofore 
said to anyone (if my memory serves me) relative to my 
views upon this location question. I now for the first time 
announce my purpose to vote for the location of the territorial 
capital at or near Olympia; and for my vote upon this cpies- 
tion I shall briefly assign a few reasons. 

"Justice to all sections of the territory require at our 
hands patient and careful investigation as to the proper place 
at which to locate the Territorial capital. Its location should 
be central both as to its geographical position, as well as to 
its center compared with our population. In my investigation 
of this question, I have arrived at the conclusion that Olympia 
is nearer the geographical center than any other point I 
have heard mentioned during the discussion on this subject — 
and that it is also nearer the center of our present popula- 
tion. If, Mr. Speaker, you take Thurston County, with its 
population and add it to the Counties north, there will be 
found a clear and decided majority of the population of our 
Territory in those Counties. If you will take Thurston from 
the northern Counties and unite her with the Counties south, 
then it will show a still more decided majority south. Thus it 
is clearly demonstrated that Olympia is about the center of 
population in this Territory. It is as easily accessible from 
all parts of the Territory as any place which has been named 
during the pendency of this question, or that could have been 
named. It is at the head of navigation at a point the fartl:iest 
inland, accessible from all Counties north by all manner of 
watercraft from steamer down to the Indian canoe. It is in 
a direct line from the Counties south to the Counties north, 
of the Territory. If you travel from the northern to the 
southern Counties, you must go through Thurston or travel 
out of your course. If you travel from the southern to the 



24 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

northern Connties yon have to pass throngh Thnrston. Then 
as to the particnlar location — the site is clearly eligible, the 
land selected is elevated and overlooks the placid waters of 
Pnget Sound for many miles to the northward. The scenery 
is grand and imposing — to the north the Coast Range is seen 
looming up in the distance, ]\Ionnt Olympus standing out in 
bold relief amidst the hundreds of less elevated peaks in the 
vicinity. 

"Indeed, Mr. Speaker, I know of no other place combin- 
ing anything like the claims, all things considered, to the Ter- 
ritorial capital as does this immediate vicinity ; hence I shall 
most willingly give my support to the bill under consideration. 
In doing so, I am influenced by no motives of a pecuniary 
character— I own no town lots or landed estate in Thurston 
County and such is the poor estimate of my vote or influ- 
ence that I have not had even the offer of an oyster suppei- 
from the good citizens of Olympia as an inducement for 
either. ' ' 

Even as early as 1855 the question of prohibition was, to 
some extent, agitated. This year the Legislature submitted 
the question of the manufacture and sale of ardent spirits to a 
vote of the people of the Territory at the next election in 
July. Quite a vigorous campaign was had, Elwood Evans 
being appointed Chairman of the Executive Committee, who 
issued a call upon temperance people to form societies. 

A Democratic County Convention was called for April of 
this year. The Whig convention was held May 5, and the 
Free Soil convention ]\Iay 26. At the election Thurston County 
gave J. Patton Anderson, Democratic candidate for Delegate 
to Congress nine majority. Wm. Cock was elected Council- 
man; R. M. Walker, C. B. Baker, D. J. Chambers, Repre- 
sentatives; T. F. Berry. Surveyor; Assessor, W, B. D. New- 
man; Commissioner, J. S. Broshears; Fence Viewer, R. ]\[. 
Walker ; Lieutenant Colonel, Joseph Miles ; Major, J. K. Hurd. 

The vote of Thurston by precincts will give the reader a 
practical idea of how the population was scattered through- 
out the County : Three hundred and seventy-three votes were 
cast as follows : Olympia precinct, 260 ; South Bay, 18 ; Black 
Lake, 15; Yelm Prairie, 18; Grand Mound, 39; Miami, 



THURSTON COUNTY 25 

9 ; Coal Bank, 18. Prohibition received a majority of 14 votes 
in this County, but failed to carry in the Territory. 

In August, 1855, a two story school building was erected 
to replace the one that had been crushed by snow a few years 
previously. This building has served various purposes. Erected 
as a school house originally, it was so used for years ; from 1871 
to 1892 it was the Court house, and latter became a newspaper 
office. It has since been moved off the property at Sixth and 
Franklin and is now occupied as a lodging house. 

A history of the year 1856 is almost exclusively a story 
of Indian troubles. All the serious difficulties that Thurs- 
ton County experienced in this regard, or during which much 
apprehension was felt, was during this year. Reports were 
coming to Olympia of troubles in the White River valley, which 
aroused considerable apprehension. The Yakima tribes were 
the troublesome element, and it was presumed then, and has 
since been accepted as reasonably certain, that they were en- 
couraged in their depredations by the Hudson Bay Company, 
which, in this way, hoped to discourage immigration. 

The first overt act to occur in Thurston County, and 
from which trouble may be said to date, was early in 1854, 
when a Kake (a Northern tribe) Indian was killed by a man 
named Burke, both of whom worked for H. L. Butler, at But- 
ler's Cove. Subsequently the Northern Indians frequently 
visited the head of the Sound and committed depredations. 
The acts at least became so flagrant that Commander Swart- 
out, then in command of what United States navy there was 
in these waters, was notified. On November 20th, he made 
an attack upon their camp at Port Gamble. About thirty 
were killed and twenty wounded, their camp and canoes 
destroyed. The remainder were taken to Victoria. This act 
but served to whet the appetite of the Indians for revenge. 

The Indians on the Sound, including those on the Straits, 
numbered about 8,000, divided into many tribes and bands. 

Governor Stevens, early in his administration, outlined 
a very wise and pacific policy toward the Indians, and one 
which he devoted himself to actively and sincerely, the fea- 
tures of which were : 

1. To concentrate the Indians upon a few reservations 



26 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

and encourage them to cultivate the soil and adopt civilized 
habits. 

2. To pay for their lands in annuities of blankets, cloth- 
ing, and stable articles during a long term of years, rather 
than in money. 

3. To furnish them with schools, teachers, farmers and 
farming implements, blacksmiths and carpenters, with shops 
of their trade. 

4. To discourage wars and disputes among them. 

5. To abolish slavery. 

6. To stop, as far as possible, the use of liquor. 

7. They were to retain rights of hunting and fishing on 
vacant lands. 

8. That at some future date, when they were deemed 
fitted for it, the reservations were to be allotted to them in 
severalty. 

The first Council in Thurston County was held on McAl- 
lister Creek, a mile above its mouth, on the right bank. 

The Indians, to the number of 650, assembled, and Gov- 
ernor Stevens made an address, at once pacific and appealing, 
in which he made plain to the Indians his policy as outlined 
above, and invited their co-operation. 

The treaty was then read, section by section, and the 
Indians given every opportunity to discuss it. After which, 
there being no objections, the treaty was signed by Governor 
I. I. Stevens and the Chiefs, Delegates and Headmen on the 
part of the Indians. Provisions and presents were then de- 
livered to the Chiefs, who divided them among the Indians. 

Following is a synopsis of the treaty: 

1. The Indians to cede their lands in Thurston, Pierce 
and parts of ]\Iason and King to the United States. 

2. Set off as reservations: Squaxon Island, containing 
about 1280 acres ; a square tract of two sections near and 
south of the mouth of JMcAliister Creek and another equal 
tract on the south side of Commencement Bay, with aeeossible 
roads to and through them. 

3. Conceded right of fishing and hunting on other than 
claimed lands. 

4. Twenty-two thousand five hundred dollars to be 
paid in annuities in staple and useful articles. 



THURSTON COUNTY . 27 

5. Thirty thousand two hundred and fifty dollars to 
be expended in placing the Indians on their reservations. 

6. Empowered the President to remove the Indians when 
the interests of the Territory demanded, by reimbursing the 
Indians for improvements. 

7. Prohibited use of annuities to pay personal debts. 

8. Prohibited wars, and provided for arbitration of dif- 
ferences by the G-overnment. 

9. Excluded liquor from reservations on penalty of for- 
feiture of annuity. 

10. Provided for a General Agency and instruction in 
useful trades for twenty years. 

11. Abolished slavery. 

12. Prohibited trade by the Indians outside of the United 
States, and forbade foreign Indians residing on the reserva- 
tions except by consent of the Agent. 

Sixty-two Indians signed. Leschi, an intelligent and de- 
signing Indian, who has since been immortalized by having 
a Seattle park named for him, being the third. The first signer 
was Qui-ee-muth, Leschi 's brother. Both these Indians met 
death as a reward for their treachery. 

On October 14, 1855, Acting Governor Mason issued a 
proclamation, stating conditions and called for the enrollment 
of two Companies, and Vancouver and Olympia were named 
as places of enrollment. 

The Company enrolled at Olympia was called the Puget 
Sound Mounted Volunteers, which elected officers as follows . 
Captain, Gilmore Hays; First Lieutenant, Jared S. Hurd; Sec- 
ond Lieutenant, Wm. Martin ; First Sergeant, Joseph Gibson ; 
Second Sergeant, H. D. Cock ; Third Sergeant, Thomas 
Prather ; Fourth Sergeant, Joseph White ; First. Corporal, Jo- 
seph S. Taylor; Second Corporal, Whitfield Kirtley; Third 
Corporal, D. T. Wheelock; Fourth Corporal, John Scott. 

The people were disappointed in receiving arms that were 
expected at that time, which necessitated a visit by Surveyor 
General Tilton to Seattle with a view to securing arms from 
the Decatur, a sloop of war, and the revenue cutter Jefferson 
Davis, both then in the harbor. He was successful to the ex- 
tent of securing 30 muskets, 40 carbines, 50 holster pistols, 50 
sabers and belts and 3500 ball cartridges. 



28 ■ HISTORICAL SKETCH 

Nathan Eaton, a settler in Thurston, was authorized by 
Acting Governor Mason, to organize a Company of Rangers 
which was officered as follows: First Lieutenant, James Mc- 
Allister ; Second Lieutenant, James Tullis ; Third Lieutenant. 
A. M. Poe; First Sergeant, John Harold; Second Sergeant, 
Chas. E. Weed; Third Sergeant, W. W. Miiler; Fourth Ser- 
geant, S. Phillips; First Corporal, S. D. Reinhart; Second 
Corporal, Thos. Bracken ; Third Corporal, S. Hodgdon ; Fourth 
Corporal, James Hughes. 

Both Companies proceeded to White River valley on Oc- 
tober 20, 1855. 

A Company was organized on Mound Prairie and the 
citizens then built a blockhouse for protection. A Company 
was also formed on Chambers Prairie. 

As a precautionary measure it was deemed wise to hold 
a reserve force and four more Companies were called for. By 
the terms of this call, Lewis, Thurston, Pierce and Samamish 
were to furnish one Company to enroll at Olympia. This 
Company enrolled 110 men and elected the following officers: 
Captain, Geo. B. Goudy; First Lieutenant, W. B. Affleck; Sec- 
rnd Lieutenant, J. K. Hurd; First Sergeant, Francis Lindler; 
Second Sergeant, A. J. Baldwin; Third Sergeant, F. W. Sealy; 
Fourth Sergeant, James Roberts. Jos. Walraven, E. W. Austin, 
Hiel Barnes and Joseph Dean, Corporals. 

Stockades for the protection of families were built in 
this County, one on Chambers Prairie and one on Mound 
Prairie. Business was practically suspended in town and 
claims were abandoned in the country. Men were either pre- 
paring to leave for the scene of the trouble or were engaged 
in the erection of forts and stockades for protection. 

The Rangers left home on October 24th, to seek the wilv 
Chief of the Nesquallys, Leschi, who was the instigator of 
much of the trouble and hostile attitude of many of the na- 
tives, but they found he had gone to the White River Valley, 
and the troops immediately started in pursuit. At Puyallup 
Crossing, Captain Eaton, Lieutenant McAllister and Connell, 
together with a friendly Indian, went ahead of their Com- 
pany to have a conference with the Indians. The Indians, 
with characteristic treachery, professed friendship. Upon re- 
turning to camp, McAllister and Connell were fired upon and 



THURSTON COTJNTY 29 

killed. An Indian rode to the McAllister claim and told the 
family of McAllister's death and helped them to the fort on 
Chambers' Prairie. A few days later Cols. A. B. Moses and 
Joseph Miles were killed. It was for the murder of these 
men that Leschi was afterward executed. 

Emissaries from the hostiles on the East side of the moun- 
tains visited the Sound Indians, and by ingenious argument in- 
•eited the natives on this side to hostility. Straggling bands 
were pei'petrating outrages here and there, and thus were 
families intimidated and forced to take refuge in Olympia, 
A town meeting was held, at which Wm. Cock was chosen 
chairman and Elwood Evans, secretary. After discussing 
the situation it was resolved to build a stockade. Rev. J. F. 
Devore, R. M. Walker and Wm. Cock were constituted a com- 
mittee to proceed at once on works for defense, and, if neces- 
sary, to detain the brig Tarquina, then in the harbor, as a 
means of refuge. 

While this condition existed and a sable cloud lay low 
over the little town, the bodies of McAllister, JMoses and 
Miles were brought in. and during a dismal fall of rain, the 
little community bared their heads in grief over the mortal 
remains of their first martyrs. The three young men were 
buried on Chambers' Prairie, 

A stockade was erected along Fourth Street, from bay 
to bay, with a block house at the corner of Main, on which 
was placed a cannon. 

These were merely precautionary measures. Actual fight- 
ing occurred only in the White and Puyallup Valleys, and in 
December, the Militia Companies were disbanded. 

An attack on Seattle occurred January 26, 1856, and 
Governor Stevens then issued a proclamation calling for six 
Companies, two of which were to enroll at Olympia. 

The entire white population of the Sound at this tim: 
was barely 4,000 souls and all the male population fit to bear 
arms had been and were now devoting their time and energies 
1 defense, rather than in the pursuit of their occupations ; 
they were destitute and discouraged, and were receiving little 
or no help from the Government. 

The first Company here to respond was officered as fol- 
lows : Captain, Gilmore Hays ; First Lieutenant, A. B. Rabbe- 



2(? HISTORICAL SKETCH 

son ; Second Lieutenant, Wni. Martin; Orderly Sergeant, Frank 
Ruth ; Sergeants, A. J. Moses, D. , IMartin, M. Goddell ; Cor- 
porals, N. B. Coffey, J. L. IMj^ers, F. Hughes, H. Horton. 

A Company of Mounted Rangers elected officers as follows : 
Captain, B. L. Henness ; F'irst Lieutenant, Geo. C. Blanken- 
ship; Second Lieutenant, F. A. Godwin; Sergeants, Jos. Cush- 
man, W. J. Yeager, Henry Laws, Jas. Phillips ; Corporals, Wni. 
E. ICady, Thos. Hicks, S. A. Phillips, H. A. Johnson. 

On February 8 there was organized a company of miner.-* 
and sappers under Captain Jas. A. White ; U. E. Hicks, First 
Lieutenant ; McLain Chambers, Second Lieutenant ; D. J. Hub- 
bard, C. White. Marcus McMillan, H. G. Parsons, Sergeants, 
Corporals, Isaac Lemon, Wm. Ruddell, Wm. Mengle. This 
Company was organized to cut roads, build fortifications, guard 
stock, etc. 

Adjutant General Tilton, on JIarch 1, issued a call for 
100 more men for service under Major Hays, with headquarter-?^ 
at Olympia, and in April a block house Avas built, sufficient to 
accommodate the whole population, on a site now known as 
Capital Park. The spot is indicated by a stone, erected by the 
Daughters of the American Revolution, to mark the end of 
the Oregon trail. 

The Indians now seemed tiring of the unavailing struggle, 
although a Peace Commission composed of M. T. Simmons and 
Ed. C. Fitzhugh, appointed by the Governor to treat with tlu- 
Indians, was unable to bring about satisfactory results. But 
the Indians were disbanding and the soldiers returned home, 
subject to call and were finally mustered out in August. The 
horses, stores, etc., were sold at public auction. An incident 
which shows the characteristic integrity and regard for honor 
prevalent among the pioneers is here given. An officer of 
one of the volunteer Companies had captured a mule in Grand]; 
Ronde Valley. While in the service, he rode it home to 
Olympia, and turned it in. He desired to bid it in and own 
if, but the highest bid was $475 and the faithful volunteer, 
impoverished by ten months' military' service, was unable to 
meet the raise. 

During the struggle stockades and block houses had been 
built in Thurston County by settlers as follows : Stockade 
at Cochran's, Skookumchuck; stockade. Fort Henness, Grand 



THURSTON COUNTY 81 

Mound Prairie; stockade at GoodelPs, Grand Mound Prairie; 
block house, Tenalquct Prairie; block house. Nathan Eaton's. 
Chambers Prairie; two block houses. Chambers Prairie; block 
liouse at Euddell's. Chambers P^rairie; stockade at Bush's. 
Bush Prairie; block house at Rutledge's. Bush Prairie; Uyo 
hlock houses in Tumwater; block house at Doffelmeyer's Point. 

Forts and block houses built in Thurston County by the 
Yolunteers were : Block house at Skookumchuck, Fort Miller. 
Tenalquot Plains; Fort Stevens, Yelm Prairie; block house at 
Ijowe's, Chambers Prairie; block house and stockade at 
Olympia. 

No stockades were built by the Federal troops in Thur.s- 
ton County. 

The Volunteers had acquitted themselves creditably. 
Though a sturdy type of the Western pioneer, they had sub- 
;)ected themselves to strict discipline. All captured property 
was turned over or accounted for. No case of wanton kill- 
ing of Indians had been reported. 

At the close of hostility the settlers justly felt that the 
murderers among the Indians should be tried and subjected 
To punishment. In this they Avere firmly supported by Gov- 
ernor Stevens. In a letter to Col. Casey, the Governor asked 
his assistance to this end : 

"I have, therefore, to request your aid in apprehending 
Lesehi, Qui-ee-muth. Kitsap, Slahi and Nelson, and other mur- 
derers, and to keep them in custody awaiting a warrant from 
the nearest magistrate *^ * *. 

"In conclusion I have to state that I do not believe that 
any country or any age has afforded an example of the kind- 
ness and justice which has been shown towards the Indians 
by the suffering inhabitants of the Sound during the recent 
troubles. They have, in spite of the few cases of murder which 
have occurred, shown themselves eminently law-abiding, a just 
and forbearing people. They desire the murderers of the In- 
dians to be punished, but they complain, and they have a 
right to complain, if the Indians, whose hands are steeped 
in the blood of the innocent, go unwhipped of justice." 

There had arisen a question between the Governor and 
the military as to Avether any promise of protection had been 
made to the Indians when they delivered themselves up to 



n HISTORICAL^ SKETCH 

Colonel Wright iii Yakima, Col. Casey claiming that to attempt 
to hold any on a charge of murder would be a violation of 
good faith. The Governor positively controverted the assump- 
tion of protection to the Indians, as he had received positive 
{Assurance from Col. Wright that he had made no terms with 
them and promised them no imnmnity. The Governor, rely- 
ing upon this statement made to him by Col. Wright, in the 
presence of creditable witnesses, refused to receive and take 
charge of a party of about 100 Sound Indians until the mur- 
derers' were arrested, claiming that Lesehi and the others had 
committed murders in time of peace, in a barbarous way, 
when their victims were unaware of danger. 

However, the accused murderers were arrested and in- 
dicted and received hy Col. Casey for custody at Fort Steila- 
coom, whereupon the Governor took charge of the other In- 
dians and returned them to their reservations. At the first 
trial of Lesehi the jury disagreed, but at a subsequent trial he 
was convicted. The case was appealed to the Supreme 
Court, where the judgment of the lower court was affirmed, 
and the murderer was sentenced to be hanged on January 
22, 1858, at Fort Steilacoora. Petitions were circulated for 
pardon and numerous remonstrances were filed with the Gov- 
ernor, but the Governor declined to interfere. Time for the 
execution passed and Lesehi still lived. A committee, ap- 
pointed by indignant citizens, inquired into the cause for de- 
lay. The report of this eoiumittee disclosed interference by 
the military authorities at Fort Steilacoom, and severely cen- 
sured the Sheriff of Pierce County. At a session of the Su- 
preme Court February 12, 1858, Lesehi was re-sentenced to 
liang February 19. Sheriff Hays was ordered to carry out 
the order of the court. In the absence of the Sheriff. Deputy 
Mitchell went, with a posse of twelve men, to Steilacoom, where 
the sentence was carried out and Lesehi was made to pay the 
penalty of his crimes. 

Yelm Jim, who had been charged with the murder of 
Wm. White in March, 1856, came to trial April, 1859. He 
was found guilty and was sentenced to be hanged. Before 
the time set for the execution arrived, however, two Indians 
came to Olympia and confessed to the crime. Yelm Jim was 
pardoned. 



THURSTON COUNTY 33 

Qui-ee-muth, Leschi's brother, was captured near Yelm 
and brought to the Governor's office in Olympia late at night. 
The Governor stationed a guard over the Indian, with strico 
orders for protection until morning, when the prisoner would 
be removed to Steilacoom. About daylight, while the guard 
slept, a man burst into the room, shooting the Indian in the 
arm and then stabbing him. The deed was done and the 
assassin gone before the guard was thoroughly aroused. The 
man making the attack was not identified, and no testimony 
could be found against anyone. The impression gained cred- 
ence, hoAvever, that Joseph Bunting, son-in-law of McAllister. 
committed the deed, thus revenging the death of McAllister. 

As has been before stated, the Indians, in their hostilities 
toward the settlers, were much encouraged by the Hudson 
Bay Company. During the war there lived in the country 
back of Steilacoom, a number of ex-employees of the Com- 
pany, who had Indian wives and half breed children. It was 
leported to the Governor that these men were giving aid and 
comfort to the Indians. The Indians who killed White and 
Northcraft in Thurston County, were tracked straight to the 
houses of these men, who, when asked concerning it, admitted 
the fact, but denied any knowledge of their acts. 

As a precautionary measure, the Governor ordered these 
men to remove either to Steilacoom, Nisqually or Olympia, 
until the end of hostilities, where they would be harmless to 
the interests of the settlers. Accordingly twelve of them 
moved in. They had taken out their first papers and had 
located donation claims. A few lawyers who had not dis- 
tinguished themselves by assisting, or even been identified 
with, the worthy settler in resisting the Indians, here saw a 
chance for serving their own purposes, and incited these men 
to resist the Governor's order in the courts, and in the mean- 
time return to their claims, which five of them did. On 
learning this, the Governor ordered them arrested and turned 
over to Col. Casey at Fort Steilacoom. 

Then the designing lawyers sued out a writ of habeas 
corpus. To forestall an effort on the part of the conspirators 
to seriously impair the plans of his administration, the Gov- 
ernor declared martial law on April 3. The prisoners were 
brought to Olympia and incarcerated in the old block house 



34 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

on the public square. Judge Chenoweth, whose place it was 
to hear the proceedings, plead illness, and asked Judge Lander, 
whose district included Thurston County, to hear the habeas 
corpus cases. Lander hastened to Steilacoom and opened court 
May 7. The Governor had urged the Judge to adjourn court 
until Indian troubles were over, which must necessarily be 
soon, and all trouble thus averted. But Lander proceeded 
to open court, whereupon Col. Shaw walked into court and 
arrested the Judge and the officers of his court and brought 
them to Olympia, where they were released. 

Lander, being then at home, and the time for holding 
court in his own district having arrived, he opened court on 
the 14th, and summoned the Governor to answer contempt 
proceedings. The Governor ignored the order and accordingly 
United States ]\Iarshal Geo. W. Corliss proceeded to the Gov- 
ernor's office to arrest him. The Marshal and his party, how- 
ever, after failing to execute their errand, were ejected from 
the office by a party composed of Major Tilton, Capt. Cain, 
Jas. Doty, Q. A. Brooks, R. M. Walker, A. J. Baldwin, Lewis 
Ensign, Chas. E. Weed and J. L. Mitchell. 

Mounted volunteers entered the Town and Judge Lander 
hearing of their approach, adjourned court, and, in company 
with Elwood Evans, went to the office of the latter and locked 
themselves in. Captain Miller, with his men, approached, and 
finding himself barred, remarked: "I will here add a new 
letter to the alphabet, let 'er rip," and kicked in the door 
and arrested the occupants of the room. Evans was re- 
leased at once. Lander was held in honorable custody until 
the war was over. 

Much was made of this act by the enemies of Governor 
Stevens to injure him and his administration. A mass meet- 
ing was held in Olympia on the public square (now Capital 
Park), which was presided over by Judge B. F. Yantis, J. W. 
Goodell, Secretary, which heartily endorsed the course of thn 
Governor in declaring martial law. 

The proclamation revoking martial law was promulgated 
May 24 and Lander held court in July following. The Gov- 
ernor appeared in court by counsel disclaiming any disrespect 
to the Court, was fined $50, which he paid, and the incident 
was closed. 



THURSTON COUNTY 25 

At the election which occurred in July, Thurston County 
elected the entire Democratic ticket, except Sheriff, which 
was as follows : Councilman, J. W. "Wiley ; Representatives, 

B. L. Henness, C. B. Baker, J. A. Longmire, Daniel Kiper, G. 

C. Blankenship, Wm. Rutledge ; Auditor, Wm. Wright ; As- 
sessor, T. W. Glascow ; Treasurer, G. K. Willard ; Coroner, H. 

D. Morgan. Isaac Hays, on the Whig ticket, defeated Samuel 
Coulter. The Democratic ticket was opposed by the Whigs 
and Free Soilers. 

The Puget Sound Institute, a private school, was organ- 
ized this year by Rev. J. F. Dillon, a Methodist minister, as- 
sisted by his wife. 

The end of the year 1856 found confidence restored 
among the settlers, who had returned to the pursuit of their 
avocations. Settlers had returned to their claims without 
fear. The first threshing machine was brought into the County 
and a cabinet and chair factory was opened in town. 

J. M. Swan platted his donation claim adjoining the 
Sylvester tract, on the East side of the bay, which was 
known for many years as Swantown. 

The Northern Pacific Railroad Company was incorporated 
by the Legislature of 1857. Under the terms of the charter 
the road was to commence at one of the passes in the Rocky 
Mountains between the Territories of Washington and Ne- 
braska and connecting with such road passing through Min- 
nesota and Nebraska as the Company might select, thence to 
the Sound. The following residents of the Territory were 
incorporators : I. I. Stevens, C. H. Mason, E. Lander, Geo. 
Gibbs, B. F. Kendall, Wm. Cock, R. M. W^alker, W. W. Miller, 
W. H. Wallace, Lafayette Baleh, M. T. Simmons, Elwood 
Evans, A. A. Denny, David Phillips, Alex Abernethy, J. P, 
Keller, Jas. Tilton, E. H. Fowler, S. D. Howe, E. C. Fitz- 
hugh, Walter Crockett, L. H. Davis, C. C. Pagett, Jno. R. 
Jackson, Seth Catlin, Wm. Strong, Wm. Dillon, Sumner 
Barker, Wm. Kelly, Ira Patterson, H. D. Huntington, N. Os- 
trander and B. B. Bishop. 

The Legislature also authorized the appointing of a Board 
of Commissioners with authority to build a bridge across the 
Western arm of Budd's Inlet. Wm. Cock, Edwin Marsh, W. 
W. Miller, Wm. McLain, J. K. Hurd, Jos. Cushman, S. W. 



36 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

Percival and Elwood Evans composed the Commission. The 
report favored a bridg-e 1803 feet long, with a draw, at an 
estimated cost of $3000. 

At the ]\Iarch term of the County Commissioners the 
election precincts of Coal Bank, Rabbeson's Prairie, Nisqually 
Prairie and ^liami were abandoned and the territory attached 
to adjoining precincts. This was due, in a great extent, to 
the depopulating of the country by the Indian War. 

Notwithstanding the fact that the country showed a falling 
off in population, Olympia continued to improve and a number 
tf small industries were started in 1857. 

The rate of taxation was 3 mills for County purposes. 
1 for court, 1 for territorial, and 2 mills for school purposes. 

On July 13 the annual election occurred. The opposition 
to the Democrats of the year before had united under the 
name of Republican. The Democrats carried the election, 
losing only the School Superintendent and Prosecuting At- 
torney. The following officers were elected : Representatives 
W. W. Miller, Stephen Guthrie, B. F. Shaw, C. B. Baker, T. W 
Glascow; Joint Representative, W. M. Morrow; Probate Judge, 
G. K. Willard; Assessor, J. R. Smith; County Commissioner, 
James Biles; School Superintendent, G. F. Whitworth ; Prose 
tuting Attorney, C. C. Hewitt ; Coroner, C. H. Hale. 

Governor Stevens was elected delegate to Congress this 
year, and Fayette McMullan was appointed to fill his plact, 
as Governor. Mc]\Iullan arrived in September and was en- 
thusiastically received. 

A contract was awarded the Pacific ]\Iail Steamship Com- 
pany to carry the mail from San Francisco to Olympia. 

The steamer Fairy, owned and operated on Puget Sound 
by A. B. Rabbeson, plying between Olympia and Steilacoom 
blew up when leaving the wharf at the latter place, October 15. 

The year 1858 Avas distinguished by the Frazier River ex- 
citement. Settlers in Washington and Oregon again abandoned 
their claims in quest of riches, as ten years before California 
had attracted them. 

Olj^mpia, being at the head of tidewater and the only 
town north of the Columbia, Avas an outfitting point for the 
miners. 



THURSTON COUNTY 37 

"Wells Fargo & Co. established an office in Olympia tliis 
year, with T. M. Eeed as agent. 

The election of 1858 resulted in the choice of the entirf- 
Democratic ticket as follows : Councilman, W. "W. IMiller ; 
Eepresentatives, E. Sylvester, B. L. Henness, Wm. Rutledge 
J. M. Hawk, Jas. Longmire. Oliver Shead; Prosecuting At- 
torney, B. P. Anderson ; County Commissioner, Jas. Cornell ; 
Treasurer, G. K. Willard ; Auditor, Richard Lane ; Sheriff, 
G. C. Blankenship ; Assessor, Wm. Martin ; Coroner, A. J. 
Baldwin. 

As early as 1858 the matter of a transcontinental railroad 
began to be actively agitated. A meeting was held in Masonic 
Hall, September 29th, and Congress urged to make a land 
grant to the Northern Pacific Railroad. At this meeting 
Elwood Evans presided. 

Fruit growing as an industry began to attract attention 
and two nurseries were established in the County. 

A postal agent visited Olympia in the fall of this year and 
arranged for the mail steamer Constitution leaving on Monday 
instead of Friday. Connections were made at San Francisco 
by which overland mail reached Olj'mpia from St. Louis in 
24 days. 

In May of 1859' the Commissioners called a special election 
to vote a 4-mill tax to build a new Courthouse. It was hoped 
to derive a revenue of $5,000, $2,500 to be applied to existing 
indebtedness. The proposition was decidedly' defeated. 

At the election in July the Democrats and Republicans 
had tickets in the field, the former being successful. For 
Councilman, Jas. Biles ; Representatives, B. L. Henness, G. K 
Willard, Oliver Shead. A. S. Yantis, Chas. E. Weed, Levi 
Shelton ; County Commissioner, A. J. Chambers ; Assessor. 
Jno. Chambers. 

Secretary C. H. Mason died in July of this year, at the 
age of 29. He was universally loved and respected. 

Immigration into Thurston County received a decided 
impetus at this time and resulted in much encouraging the 
earlier settlers. 

In October General Winfield Scott visited Olympia. he 
having come to the Northwest in connection with the inter- 
national boundary question. 



38 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

At the session of the legislature this year a bill was intro- 
duced removing the Capitol from Olympia to Vancouver, which 
passed the house by a vote of 19 to 9. but met defeat in the 
Council by one vote. 

In the winter of this year, as a result of frequent fires. 
the first steps toward protection were taken by the organiza- 
tion of the Alert Hook and Ladder Company — Foreman, C. E. 
Williams ; 1st Assistant, J. L. Head ; 2d Assistant, H. D. ]\Ior- 
gan ; President, T. M. Eeed ; Secretary, A. J. Moses ; Treasurer. 
W. G. Dunlap. 

The Puget Sound University was chartered this year, with 
the following officers: D. E, Bigelow, Chancellor; G-. A. Barnes 
Vice President ; Rev. B. C. Lippincott, President and General 
Agent. 

The town of Olympia was incorporated January 29, 1859. 
the election to be held in April following. The Act designated 
G. A. Barnes, T. F. McElroy, Jas. Tilton, Jos. Cushman and 
Elwood Evans as Trustees. Jos. Cushman was elected Presi- 
dent of the Board. 

At the April election U. G. Warbass, Geo. A. Barnes 
Edwin Marsh, W. D. Dunlap and Isaac Lightner were elected 
Trustees. Geo. A. Barnes was elected President and Richard 
Lane Clerk of the Board. Dr. Warbass declined to serve and 
Elwood Evans was appointed. 

Contracts were let for cisterns at the intersections of 
Second, Third and Fourth Stre,ets with Main Street. The old 
blockhouse on the square was fitted up for a jail. 

A reaction from the good times of the previous years was 
experienced in 1860. The war cloud was looming large in 
the East, and helped to a degree the depression. The Capitol re- 
moval was again agitated in every County, which, together 
with a heavy assessment, on the previous year's boom valua- 
tions, did not help to relieve the feeling of discouragement. 

William Wright resigning as Count}^ Treasurer, T. F. 
McElroy was appointed to fill the vacancy. 

At this time Olympia was served by four religious de- 
nominations : Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic and Epis- 
copalian. 

At the election this year the realignment in political parties 
began, as a result of the war issues, though the Democrats 



THUHSTON COUNTY 39 

€4ected most of their ticket. The following County officers 
were elected for the ensuing year: Representatives, D. L. 
Phillips, B. F. Ruth, B. L. Henness, U. Gr. Warbass, Gilmorc; 
Hays and C. 11. Hale ; Sheriff, Wm. Billings ; School Superi)!- 
tendent, R. M. Walker; Auditor, Richard Lane; Treasurer, 
Wm. Wright; Commissioner. S. S. Ford; Probate Judge, R. M. 
Walker; Assessor, A. W. Sargent. 

At the legislative session this year steps were taken 
toward the erection of a capitol building. A Commissioner 
was appointed and bids called for. The matter went by de- 
fault, however, as no satisfactory bids were received. 

The Federal census of this year showed a population of 
14S9 for Thurston County — 967 males, 522 females. Real prop- 
erty valuation was $942,990; personal, $586,710. 

Henry Winsor was awarded a daily mail contract between 
Olympia and Monticello. 

The Washington Standard v/as this year started by John 
Miller Murphy as a Republican paper and the Pioneer and 
Democrat was sold by Wiley & Furste to James Lodge. 

Swantown was connected with the main town by a foot- 
bridge early this year. 

The following Town Board Avas elected in 1860: G. A. 
Barnes, Elwood Evans, W. G. Dunlap, Isaac Lightner, Edv>^in 
Marsh. Wm. Billings was elected Marshal and D. R. Bigelow, 
Police Judge. 

When the legislature, of 1860-61 convened it was quite 
apparent that Portland, Oregon, was taking part in Washing- 
ton Territory's Capital fight, in her own interests. Under the 
great influence brought to bear the bill for removal to Van- 
couver passed both houses and was approved. However, it 
was discovered, after adjournment of the legislature, that the 
bill had no enacting clause, and, as enrolled, bore no date 
At a session of the Supreme Court at Olympia, a plea as to tht- 
jurisdiction of the Court, in one case, was entered. This 
brought the question squarely before the Court. The plea was 
C'Verruled, and Olympia has since remained the Capital. 

The legislature attached the south part of Thurston County 
to Lewis County. 

In July the question of Capital location was submitted 
to the people with the following result : Whole number of 



40 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

votes east 2315, of which Olympia received 1239, Vancouver 
639. Steilaeoom 253. Scattering votes went to Port Townsend, 
Walla Walla and Seattle. 

In 1861 the people of Tumwater offered, as a bonus for 
the location of the Comity seat at Tnmvrater, a considerable 
amount in lumber, shingles, labor and land. C. Crosby and 
wife filed with the Commissioners a bond in the sum of $4000. 
conditioned on the delivery of a deed for four blocks of land. 
At the same session Olympia offered to donate the public 
square to the County on condition that the County seat remain 
undisturbed. 

The matter being submitted to the people at the annual 
election following. Olympia received 344, Tumwater 104, West 
Olympia 4. Upan a delivery of a conveyance of the public 
s(iuare to the County a call was made for bids for 200,000 
bricks, with which to build a jail. 

By the attaching of a portion of Thurston County to 
Lewis, Commissioner Biles was disvqualified from acting, though 
by failure of his successor to qualify, Mr. Biles presided at the 
next meeting of the Board, fixing a rate of 7 mills for school, 
court and Territorial purpose.^. 

The legislature of 1861 had extended the terms of County 
officers to two years, hence only Representatives to the legis- 
lature and County Commissioners were elected this year. 

B. F. Ruth, A. S. Yantis, Wm. Cock and Wm. McLain 
were elected Representatives. G. W. ^Miller and G. W. French 
were elected Commissioners. 

In the Summer of 1861 A. M. Poe established the Overland 
Press in Olympia. 

Rev. B. C. Lippincott this year assumed charge of the 
public school in Olympia. 

At the Spring election Elwood Evans, T. M. Reed, B. 
Harned, A. Frankee and S. W. Percival were elected Trustees. 
R. Lane was chosen Clerk, Wm. Billings, Marshal, and W. G. 
Dunlap, Magistrate. 

Upon the abandonment of the military post at Steilaeoom. 
which occurred this year, some uneasiness was felt due to the 
prevalent idea that the absence of troops might encourage 
the Indians *,o resume hostilities. But the year closed with 




THOMAS OTCHIN 



THURSTON COUNTY 41 

bright prospects for the County. Of 53 postoffiees in the 
'territory, Thurston County had nine. 

Early in 1862 the erection of a Courthouse was agitated. 
During the discussion of the matter it was discovered that 
the County had no title to the public square, which it had 
been reserving for County purposes. It will be recalled that 
a few years previously, after Tumwater had offered a bonus 
for the location of the County seat there, that Olympia made 
a deed to the County for the public square (bounded by Sixth. 
Seventh, Main and Washington Streets). Later it was found 
that Edmund Sylvester had donated this to the city for park 
purposes exclusively, hence the conveyance by the city to the 
County was invalid. 

At the May term of the Commissioners this year they 
purchased jjroperty on the northeast corner of Union and 
Washington streets, which had formerly been used for school 
purposes, and awarded a contract to B. Harned to fit up the 
building for courthouse purposes. 

F. M. Sargent resigned as County Treasurer and S. W. 
Percival was appointed to fill the vacancy. 

The election this year resulted in the choice of the follow- 
ing : Joint Councilman, 0. B. McFadden ; Eepresentatives, 
Wm. ]\IcLain, T. Hunt, H. Kandle, Jas. Longmire ; Sheriff. 
R. W. Moxlie ; Auditor, A. W. Moore ; Treasurer, S. W. Perci- 
val ; Surveyor, Edwin Marsh ; Attorney, B. F. Dennison ; Com- 
missioner, S. D. Ruddell. 

News of the death of Isaac I. Stevens, who was shot in 
the battle of Chantilly on September 1, was received in Olympic 
October 18. Proper memorial services were held here. 

Up to October of this year .$2,210.08 had been raised in 
Thurston County to aid the Federal cause. 

In 1862 B. F. Kendall, a man of marked ability, though 
combative and vindictive, had become publisher of the Over- 
land Press. In a December issue he charged a man named 
Horace Howe with burning the buildings of the Puget Sound 
Agricultural Company, in Lewis County. Later Howe met 
Kendall at the corner of Main and Third Streets, Olympia, and 
during a controversy struck Kendall with a switch he waij 
holding. Kendall ran, Howe following, for a short distance, 
then turned and fired four shots at his pursuer, one entering 



42 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

the left side of Howe, which proved a serious but not fatal 
v.'ound. Kendall's version, as published in his own paper, gave 
offense to Howe's friends, and on January 8, 1863, Howe's son 
entered Kendall's office and asked to see him privately. The 
two retired to an adjoining room, when a pistol shot was heard 
and Howe came from the room saying. "I shot him in self 
defense." The young man was put under bail for his appear- 
ance for trial, but he later disappeared. The case was dis- 
missed, when some time afterward the news of Howe's death 
reached Olympia. The pistol used by the assassin was one be- 
longing to a prominent Territorial official, which gave some 
color to the belief at the time that Kendall was the victim of 
•d plot among political enemies. 

Town Council elected this year: G. A. Barnes, Jos. Cush- 
man, Jas. Tilton, C. E. Williams, W. G. Dunlap. E. Lane, 
Clerk; H. M. McGee, Magistrate; W. B. Gosnell, Marshal. 
Dunlap died soon after election and David Phillips succeeded 
him. 

Logging had begun to be engaged in ciliite extensively in 
and about Olympia, the output finding ready market at good 
prices. 

In 1863, being an off year, only a Legislative ticket, a 
Commissioner and Probate Judge were elected. The Unionists 
defeated the Democrats, with the following result: Repre 
sentatives, C. Crosby. H. D. IMcGee, Wm. McLain ; Commission- 
er, Joseph Gibson; Probate Judge, F. M. Sargent. 

At the Town election Jos. Cushman, C. E. Williams, B. 
Harned, S. Holmes and Wm. Mitchell were elected Trustees; 
R. Lane, Clerk; F. M. Sargent, Magistrate, and John Sealy, 
Marshal. W. J. Yeager succeeded the latter later. 

The Fall of 1863 John Paul Judson was elected teacher of 
the public school and was authorized to collect from the 
fecholars, or parents, a sum sufficient to make his salary $80 
per month and for an assistant at $120 per quarter, in addition 
to the $50 allowed by law. The only examination to which 
teachers were submitted at this time was that made by a com- 
mittee of the Town Board. 

The year 1864 was one of unusual quiet, little transpiring 
of sufficient importance to chronicle 



THURSTON COUNTY 43 

A tri-weekly mail contract direct to Portland was awarded 
Plenry Winsor. 

At the election Republicans and Democrats placed tickets 
in the field. The result was a victory for the Republicans, 
losing only their candidate for Auditor. Representatives, C. 
Crosby, s! D. Ruddle, F. M. Rhodes; Sheriff, J. H. Kellett; 
Commissioner, J. Dunlap; Auditor, R. Lane; Treasurer, S. W. 
Percival. 

The Fourth of July was enthusiastically celebrated this 
year, at the close of which a Lincoln and Johnson Club was 
organized, and notwithstanding the fact that the people had no 
vote for choice of President, the political interest was intense. 

A slight flurry was occasioned the latter part of 1864 by 
the report that gold had been discovered in the Nachez Pass, 
about 70 miles from Olympia. This little community furnished 
its quota of gold-seekers, who soon returned to their homes 
disappointed. 

Town officers elected : Trustees, L. D. Durgin, Jesse Chap- 
man, H. M. McGill, A. J. Brown, Edward Giddings ; Clerk, R. 
Lane ; Treasurer, Jesse Chapman ; Marshal, J. L. Head ; Magis- 
trate, F. M. Sargent. 

The first Sunday closing ordinance Avas passed by this 
Board. 

The Committee on Streets was instructed to build a reser- 
voir about a spring on the northeast corner of Main and Fourth 
streets and establish a pump for the convenience of the general 
public. This spring, which furnished pure and cold water had 
long been a village institution, and this corner a gathering 
place in the evening when alike politics and village gossip 
were discussed. 

On Sunday evening, September 4, 1864, the telegraph was 
completed to Olympia. The following congratulatory dispatch 
was sent by the Territorial executive to President Lincoln. It 
and its reply were the first messages sent between this Terri- 
tory and the National Capital : 

Washington Territory, Executive Office, 
Olympia, Sept. 5, 1854. 
To His Excellency Abraham Lincoln, President of the United 

States : 

Washington Territory this day sends her first telegraphic 



44 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

dispatch greeting yourself, Washington City and the whole 
United States, with our sincere prayers to Almighty God that 
his richest blessings, both spiritual and temporal, may rest 
upon and perpetuate the Union of our beloved country, that 
His own omnipotent power may bless, protect and defend the 
President of the United States, our brave army and gallant 
navy, our Congress, and every department of the National 
government. 

For and on behalf of Washington Territory. 

WILLIAM PICKERING, 

Governor. 

(Reply) 

Washington. D. C, Sept. 6, 1864. 

Gov. Pickering. Olympia. W. T. : 

Your patriotic dispatch of yesterdaj' received and will be 
published. " A. LINCOLN. 

For the first term of school contract was made this year 
with J. P. Judson; for the two succeeding terms with D. J. 
Hubbard as principal. 

Olympia celebrated with great patriotic fervor the new>s 
which reached the West of the success of the Union armies. 
The news of Lincoln's assassination was received here, as else- 
where throughout the United States, with sincere grief. 

In the Summer of 1865 the wagon road across the Cascade 
]Mountains was completed. This had long been a dream of the 
pioneers on both sides of the mountains. Thurston County had 
contributed $800 toward the project and every means was 
resorted to to help the project. Even the ladies of Olympia had 
put their hands to the wheel, and on July 4 gave a Calico Ball, 
turning the proceeds, $120, over to the road project. 

At the election this year Thurston County polled 362 votes, 
Denny (Republican) for deleg-ate to Congress, receiving 220 
votes, and Tilton (Democrat) 142. 

The entire Republican County ticket was elected as follows : 
Councilman. S. S. Ford ; Representatives, AVm. McLain, G. W. 
Miller, S. D. Ruddell ; Commissioners, A. Tilley, W. S. Parsons ; 
School Superintendent. D. R. Bigelow ; Coroner, Robert Frost. 

Schuyler Colfax, Speaker of the National House of Repre- 
sentatives, visited the Sound in July of this year and addressed 
the people of Olympia. 



THURSTON COUNTY 45 

The close of the war found the business affairs of the 
Sound region in good condition. Demand for lumber was activ^; 
tit good prices. 

Up to this time the male population had far exceeded 
the female in number. In view of this fact A. S. Mercer con- 
ceived the idea of chartering a vessel and bringing to the Sound 
a large number of women. On receiving notice from ^Mercer 
that the ship Continental was soon to leave Boston, with a large 
passenger list, Olympia appointed a committee, consisting of 
Elwood Evans and wife, D. R. Bigelow and wife, T. F. ]McElroy 
and wife, T. i\I. Reed and wife, Francis Henrj- and wife, George 
Barnes and wife, James Biles and wife, Henry Winsor and wife, 
to receive and provide for the newcomers. Homes in the 
County were found for 80, of the 300 that arrived. 

Panic struck the lumber industry, owing to a decision of 
a California Court that the export of lumber and spars cut 
from U. S. lands must be taxed $2.50 per M. 

Tax levy this year: Pour mills for County, 2 for School and 
2y-j mills for road purposes. 

Owing to a lack of funds no public schools opened this 
year. For the purpose of running a private school, ]\Iisses 
Giddings and Slocum leased the school house. 

Town Trustees elected this year : Chas. Weed, U. E. Hicks, 
J. R. Wood, B. F. Yantis, Robt. Frost. U. E. Hicks was elected 
Treasurer; R. Lane. Clerk; W. J. Yeager, Marshal. 

This Board levied a tax for school purposes of IVi; mills 
and purchased a hand fire engine. 

Three tickets were put in the field at the election in 1866. 
The split in the Republican party was due to the disaffection 
between President Johnson and Congress. 

Change in the Republican party resulted in the election 
of the Democratic ticket with the exception of Henness for 
Sheriff. The following County officers Avere elected : Repre- 
sentatives, Jas. Longmire, B. F. Ruth, F. Henry; Sheriff, J. H. 
Kellett ; Auditor, P. F. Turpin ; Probate Judge, C. P. Judson ; 
Treasurer, I. Lightner; Commissioner, R. Waddell. 

The faithful old town pump gave away to a water system 
that was installed this year. 

The County Commissioners appropriated $800 toward the 
Swantown bridge, and provided bounties for the following 



46 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

animals : "Wildcat $1, Coyote $2.50, Wolf $4, Cougar $5, grown 
Bear $2, Cub $1. 

S. S. Ford, Sr., who was a joint Councilman with Lewis 
County, died this year. In the election to fill the vacancy Wm. 
H. Mitchell defeated Geo. A. Barnes by 23 votes. 

On December 20, 1866, the stores at the lower end of Main 
Street, were flooded by the highest tide that had been known 
up to that time. 

Columbia Fire Engine Company was organized this year 
and formally took possession of the new hand engine. A. J. 
Baldwin was foreman. 

Town Trustees elected this year: Geo. A. Barnes, T. ]\I. 
Eeed, Isaac Lightner, B. Harned, A. J. Baldwin. T. M. Reed 
v»'as elected Treasurer and Eichard Lane, Clerk. 

L. P. Venen was this year elected principal of the district 
school. 

An exciting County election occurred in 1861 and resulted 
in the selection of the following officers : Wm. McLane, 
Councilman; F. Henry, Ira Ward and J. E. Baker, Representa- 
tives ; J. H. Kellett, Sheriff ; A. W. Cairnes, J. M. Shotwell and 
Jas. Dunlap, Commissioners; P. Turpin, Auditor; I. Lightner^ 
Treasurer; D. R. Bigelow, Probate Judge and School Superin- 
tendent. 

Jas. Longmire contested the election of IMcLane for the 
Council, which was again referred to the people, and Mr. Long- 
mire lost. 

In November of this year E. T. Gunn and J. N. Gale, com- 
menced the publication of the Olympia Transcript, as a Re- 
publican paper, the Washington Standard having been drawn 
into the Democratic field during the political evolutions now 
taking place. The Pacific Tribune was also established by 
Chas. Prosch & Sons. 

The Town Trustees serving this year were : F. Henry, 
G. A. Barnes, Albert Robb, J. G. Parker, J. M. Hawk. 

On November 15 occurred the death of M. T. Simmons, 
who lived in Lewis County. His death was mourned as a great 
loss. He had been identified with the history of the Sound 
country from the first, and was highly regarded as an upright 
citizen. 



THURSTON COUNTY 47 

A contract was awarded to E. L. Finch to build a new 
Swantown bridge. 

Coal Bank precinct was re-created this year, the population 
of the southeast corner of the County having increased to 
justify it. 

The session of the Legislature of 1868 was a most acri- 
monious one. Personal altercations within and without the 
legislative halls made a very lively town out of the Capital, 
then a village of 500. So bitter was the feeling that personal 
encounters were frequent in the saloons and about the town 
of Olympia. 

The Marshville bridge to the Westside was completed 
this year. 

L. P. Venen was elected principal of the district school, 
assisted by Misses Slocum and Mary O'Neal as assistants. 

Town Trustees were elected to serve for the year as fol- 
lows : G. K. Barnes, Wm. Mitchell, C. E. Williams, Benj. 
Harned, C. H. Hale. Richard Lane was elected Clerk and Mr. 
Williams, Treasurer. 

The County Commissioners this year discovered that they 
were being systematically robbed by the wily Indians, who 
were taking animal scalps wherever they might be found and 
cashing in over Thurston County's counter. The practice was 
stopped by rigid regulations. 

At the August term the County Commissioners ordered the 
Auditor to advertise for bids for a two-story jail. 

The historical old blockhouse on the corner of the public 
square was razed this year and the lumber in it put upon the 
streets. 

At the organization of the Territory there was established 
at Olympia as the Capital a Territorial library, for which Con- 
gress had made an appropriation. But the first town library 
was established in 1869. On January 1, 1869, D. B. Finch, a 
wealthy steamboat man, commanding the old Eliza Anderson, 
running between Olympia and Victoria, donated to the Lodge 
of Good Templars of this city what was then known as the 
Olympic building on the site now occupied by the K. of P. hall, 
on condition that the Lodge would maintain a library and free 
reading room. The conditions were complied with and the first 
town library opened July 19th. The first librarian to take 



48 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

charge was John B. Allen, a young attorney just from 
Minnesota, who was one of the first U. S. Senators from the 
State of Washington. Mr. Allen, telling his early experiences, 
related that the Lodge, having defaulted in part of his salary, 
he was given an old silver watch, in lieu thereof. In a trip 
down the bay later JMr. Allen met with an accident and the old 
watch went to the bottom of Budd's Inlet. Thus, the librarian 
was illy recompensed for his labors. 

As an indication of real estate values it might be stated 
that in February, 1869, C. J. Allen sold five acres of land adjoin- 
ing the Capital grounds for $5000. This is now known as the 
^lottman addition. 

Early this year Wm. Billings took the contract to build a 
timber jail 16x20, tw^o cells, on the County property, Union 
and Washington Streets. 

In August 1869 Rabbeson & Clark were awarded a contract 
to build a Town Hall on Fourth Street, between Washington 
i'.nd Franklin. The building was completed November 26, and 
dedicated by ball and supper. The ground floor rooms were 
occupied for municipal purposes, while a hall, with ante room 
above, was utilized for many years as ball room, theater, etc. 
AVith other relics of the past the Town Hall, so familiar to the 
"old timer." is no more, as such, but has passed into private 
hands, and was recently torn down. 

In the Spring of 1869 the Columbia River and Puget Sound 
Railroad Company desired a terminus on Puget Sound. A com- 
mittee, composed of 0. B. McFadden, C. H. Hale, Joseph Cush- 
man, S. D. Howe. James Biles, G. W. French, H. Hartley. 
Clanrick Crosby, A. J. Chambers, W. H. Mitchell, C. C. Hewitt, 
P. D. Moore and J. H. Cleale Avere appointed to solicit for 
donations of land to induce the company to locate its terminus 
on Budd's Inlet. 

Society at the Capital city was revolutionized after the 
inauguration of President Grant. As many of the inhabitants 
of the small community were Federal employes, the new ap- 
pointments made many changes. 

At the County election in 1869 the full Republican ticket 
was elected, as follows: Councilman, J. Scammons; Representa- 
tives, L. A. Treen, W. Packwood ; Commissioners, G. A. Barnes, 
C. Crosby, S. Hodgdon ; Sheriff, Wm. Billings; Treasurer, B. 



THURSTON COUNTY 49 

Bettman; Auditor, A. A. Philips; Probate Judge, D. R. Bigelow; 
School Superintendent, D. R. Bigelow ; Surveyor, F. W. Brown ; 
Coroner, C. Wood. 

Thurston County had increased her assessed valuation in 
the last year by $123,267 and was $911,129. 

The Commissioners appropriated $1000 for a bridge across 
the inlet to Tumwater. This amount was increased by private 
subscription to $32GG. 

The growth of the town now made an imperative demand 
for a definite location of streets and the Council so ordered. 
Cattle were restrained from running at large and a tax of $2.50 
was put upon each dog. 

There was considerable building activity this year and sa'T 
mills were kept busy meeting the demand. 

The first bank building to be erected in the Territory of 
Washington was commenced this year by G. A. Barnes, who 
for several years conducted a banking business here. 

The Town Trustees this year were G. A. Barnes, F. Henry, 
S. W. Percival, R. Frost, J. M. Murphy ; S. W. Percival, Trea-,- 
urer; R. Lane, Clerk. 

Jacob Hoover was principal of the public school this year, 
assisted by Llary O'Neil. Mr. Hoover later pracl^ieed law, an.l 
became a wealthy capitalist of Spokane. 

The Federal census of 1870 showed a population of 120 J 
for Olympia and 2246 in the County. Tumwater contained 206. 
By way of comparison it may here be stated that at this time 
Seattle contained 1142, with 2164 inhabitants in King County. 
Olympia had a public school of 75 pupJs, taught ty two 
teachers; fully 75 more pupils were taught in private schools. 

March 1, 1870, the town paid the County $1333 for the 
public square, which the town had deeded to the County in the 
early days, when the County seat question was agitated. Al- 
though the deed then given was invalid this settlement was 
reached, and the amount paid to assist the County in building 
a Courthouse at the corner of Washington and Sixth Streets. 

At the Town election in April the following Trustees were 
elected: F. Henry, A. A. Phillips, B. Bettman, C. C. Hewitt, 
Levi Shelton. 

At the County election the following were chosen : Council- 
man, L. P. Smith ; Representatives, D. R. Bigelow, B. L. 



50 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

Brewer, — Campbell ; Sheriff, Wm. Billings ; Auditor, A. A. Phil- 
lips; Commissioners, Wra. McLane, Ira Ward, Wm. James; 
Treasurer, L. G. Abbott ; Assessor, W. M. White ; Probate 
Judge, A. R. Elder; School Superintendent, D. R. Bigelow. 

C. Etheridge this year commenced operating a sash and 
door factory between Second and Third streets, near the 
West end of Swantown bridge. 

The prospects of the location of the Northern Pacific 
Railroad terminus at Olympia was the cause of considerable 
real estate activity in 1870. In April T. I. McKenny and Geo. 
Barnes platted the town site of Puget City, this County. 
Later the plat was vacated. 

C. B. Mann was chosen principal of the district school 
this year. 

A franchise was granted to the Washington Water Pipe 
Manufacturing Company to lay pipe and supply the inhabi- 
tants with water. 

Wm. H. Cushman was elected Town Clerk to fill a vacancy. 

The Barnes Hook & Ladder Company was organized to 
supplement the Fire Company. 

In September of this year, Olympia and vicinity was 
visited by the most violent earthquake ever experienced here 
before or since. The fact that the prevailing style of archi- 
tecture was one and two-story frame buildings saved immense 
damage. 

This year the citizens of Olympia experienced their first 
disappointment relative to the location of the Northern Pa- 
cific terminus, which it was now reported would be located 
on the Columbia River. A committee, headed by E. P. Ferry, 
was appointed to confer with the railroad officials as to the 
best terms on which railroad connection could be had at 
Olympia. Little was gained by the conference. 

In December, 1870, Marshall Blinn, C. H. Hale, A. J. 
Miller, James Pattison, E. Marsh, G. A. Barnes, W. H. Mitchell^ 
C. Crosby, J. M. Murphy and E. P. Ferry organized a Com- 
pany with a capital of $400,000 capital to construct a branch 
of the Northern Pacific Railroad. It petitioned for 1337 acres 
of the mud flats conditioned that the Des Chutes channel 
should be opened. It was the intention to obtain possession 
of these and offer them to the Northern Pacific Railroad Com- 



THURSTON COUNTY 51 

pany on condition that their terminus be located on Budd's 
Inlet, but the petition did not receive favorable action by 
Congress. 

In 1871 the location of the Northern Pacific Railroad ter- 
minus was the paramount question. 

The Northern Pacific Railroad Company had been ap- 
prised of the effort to secure the tide lands and present them 
to the Railroad Company. General Sprague of the Company 
replied by sending blanks necessary for making the donation 

The Branch Railroad Company recommended that the citi- 
zen property owners on Budd's Inlet donate one-half their 
holdings to the Northern Pacific on condition that it would 
build and operate a railroad into Olympia before January 1, 
1875, and locate the road before May 1, 1872. This most re- 
markable proposition did not meet with great favor with all 
classes, many feeling that if the Company desired to come 
here they would come anyway ; if not, no reasonable bonus- 
would be an inducement. 

Railroad contractors were working during the Summer 
in the Cowlitz Valley, and expected to have 25 miles built 
from Kalama b}^ October 2, and connection made with the 
Sound by 1872. 

By November, 1871, the road was within 15 miles of 
Olympia, and still the matter of terminus was an uncertainty. 
On Christmas day Olympia citizens experienced great relief 
when a communication was received over the signatures of 
Goodwin and Sprague by ]\Iarshal Blinn accepting the propo- 
sition of the Branch Railroad Company, stating that the 
Northern Pacific Company would comply with the first con- 
dition by causing a railroad to be located before May 1 next, 
connecting the Columbia river with a point on the navigable 
waters of Budd's Inlet. They also asked a right of way from 
Bush Prairie. This seemed to the expectant citizens of Olym- 
pia that Budd's Inlet was to be the Western terminus of the 
Northern Pacific Railroad. To many then living this seemed 
a realization of their fondest hopes which they had enter- 
tained since they emigrated here in the early '50 's. Their 
real estate holdings were to assume a value that meant to 
them a competence. And, indeed, on this vague promise real 
estate did go to fabulous values, but little changed hands. 



52 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

Builciing in and about Olvmpia was reasonably active, 
and considerable progress was made along the line of general 
improvement. At Tumwater D. Barnhart had installed a 
liirniture factory, and Leonard & Cooper were also operating 
a sash and door factory at the same place. To add to the 
general tension of expectancy, the usual report of discovery 
of gold in the Black Hills became current. 

In December, Geo. A. Barnes, Ben Harned and A. H, 
Stelle were elected School Directors. N. Crosby Clerk. 

A farmers' organization was effected this j'ear for the 
purpose of the advancement of agricultural interests, though 
it was short lived. 

On the death of Wm. James, County Commissioner, G. 
W. French was chosen to fill the vacancy. 

In this year Mrs. Case and Miss Churchill, two Eastern 
ladies, leased the old Court House on Union and Washington 
Streets and started a Young Ladies' Seminary. 

During the Summer of 1871, a newspaper plant was 
brought from Port Townsend and the Puget Sound Courier 
Vv'as started. This was the organ of the Federal officeholders. 

Town Trustees this year : F. Henry, S. W. Percival, Joh^i 
M. Murphy, A. H. Steele. 

Mr. Boynton, assisted by Miss I\Iary O'Neil and IMary 
Post taught the public school. 

Owing to the still prevailing hope that Olympia would be 
a railroad terminus, the year 1872 opened up with much ac- 
tivity. Streets and bridges were improved, a fire alarm sys- 
tem installed; while building was active rents were very high. 

The fact that a man named Ira Bradley Thomas was in 
Olympia buying up land seemed significant. In fact, he had 
secured title to several thousand acres on the East side of the 
inlet. While still in pursuit of his business he died suddenly 

In this year occurred the revolt against the so-called 
Federal ring. Selucius Garfield, a man of splendid ability and 
a magnificent orator, on the Republican ticket, was defeated 
for Delegate to Congress by 0. B. McFaddeu, on the Peoples' 
ticket. 

The full People's Party County ticket was elected as fol- 
lows: Councilman, Wm. McLain ; Representatives, B. F. Yan- 
tis, Ira Ward, Prank Henry ; Auditor, A. A. Phillips ; Sheriff, 



THURSTON COUNTY 53 

Wm. Billings; Treasurer, W. J. Grainger; Surveyor. D. R. 
B. Kenry; School Superintendent, C. A. Huntington; Pro- 
hate Judge, J. M. Lowe; Coroner, I. V. Mossman. 

A vote on the question for a State Constitution was de- 
feated, 54 to 141. 

The Burraeister building, on Third and Main, was built 
this year. 

At the municipal election the following officers were 
elected: Mayor, W. W. Miller; Councilmen— First Ward. A. 
J. Burr, B. Bettman ; Second Ward, M. Blinn, T. F. McElroy , 
Third Ward, J. S. Dobbins, D. S. B. Henry; A. A. Phillips, 
Clerk; R. W. Ryerson, Treasurer; A. R. Elder, Magistrate; 
J. J. Westbrook, Marshal. 

On December 14th, of this year, Olympia and vicinity was 
visited by a severe earthquake, resulting in little actual 
damage. 

As the year 1872 drew to a close it became evident, even 
to the most sanguine, that the Northern Pacific Railroad Com- 
pany was not going to keep faith with Olympia, but proposed 
to locate the terminus of its road at a point lower down on 
the Sound. As the time had arrived for some evidence of good 
faith, Marshal Blinn wrote to Messrs. Goodwin and Sprague, 
asking when the line would be located. They replied: "The 
line of railroad runs to the East side of Budd's Inlet to the 
Billings or Wylie donation claim, sections 25, 26, 35, 36, town- 
ship 19, range 2 West, and a point will be selected on one of 
these claims for a freight and passenger depot, where said 
line will terminate." 

This restored confidence for a time until it was evident 
the road was being continued through Yelm toward Tacoraa 

The following statement may serve to throw some light 
on the inside history of the location of the terminus of the 
first transcontinental line to reach the Northwest. 

Included in the directorate of the Northern Pacific Rail- 
road Company were men who composed the Lake Superior 
and Puget Sound Land Company. They were sufficiently 
strong in the railroad company to dictate its policy. The 
railroad company was not interested in town sites ; the land 
company was — ^so they had sent a man West to secure title 
to lands at the prospective terminus. That man was Ira 



54 HISTORICAL SKETCH 

Bradley Thomas, before mentioned. After having secured 
title to large tracts on Budd's Inlet he died. Thus, consid- 
ering the time that would be consumed in probating the 
estate of ^Ir. Thomas, with the law's delays, this land was 
withdrawn from the market indefinitely. Time was all in all. 
The result was that in order to realize their financial expecta- 
tions the Lake Superior & Puget Sound Land Company se- 
cured lands a few miles from Old Tacoma. and went into the 
Northern Pacific directorate and located the terminus of the 
Northern Pacific Railroad. 

On what seeming insignificant circumstances do great 
things depend. Had Ira Bradley Thomas lived but even a 
short time longer, in all probability Olympia would have been 
the terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad, and the site 
of the present City of Tacoma still a wilderness. 

^ ^ 4S: :)(! ^ # :SJ: 

Thus, briefly sketched, is the history of Thurston County. 
First, as a part of the Territory of Oregon, and later an 
integral part of the fast-growing Territory of Washington. 
It was the intention of the compiler of this volume to trace 
merely the pioneer history of the County. The line of demark- 
ation between early history and the later was arbitrarily fixed 
by the Society of Thurston County Pioneers, which made eligi- 
ble those who had taken up residence in the County before 
1872. Though the people who came to Washington Territory 
in the early 70's seem as "Che Chacos" to the pioneers of 
'49 or '50, yet the line as fixed by the Society seems a con- 
servative placing of time to mark the difference between old 
and new. The laying of the foundation, by a few sturdy 
pioneers, of a great commonwealth to be, who, after a life full 
of privation and hardship, were laid to rest in the soil of the 
new country, giving way to a young and sturdy race of new 
comers, no longer "pioneers" but "early settlers," until the 
year 1872 arrived, which closed the door, and all later ar- 
rivals must fall under the head of "Che Chacos." 

From 1873 to 1889, that period during which Washington 
remained a Territory, Olympia and Thurston County made slow 
progress. The location of a railroad terminus at Tacoma de- 
tracted greatly from the head of the Sound. Seattle made a 



THURSTON COUNTY 55 

start and has experienced a phenomenal growth, which in a 
way, too, affected Olympia. 

However, since admission of the Territory as a State in 
1889, Olympia and Thurston County has experienced a steady 
improvement. The ability to command some attention in Con- 
gress, has resulted in appropriations for the improvement of 
the harbor, which has always been a deterring influence. 
Notwithstanding frequent attempts to move the Capitol, it 
seems at last a fixture, the State's investments here preclud- 
ing the possibility of a change. But what is of greater im- 
portance, the difficulties of transportation in and out of 
Olympia have to a great extent been, or are being, overcome. 
The Northern Pacific, after years of neglect, saw a territory 
in the Southwest that could no longer be ignored and the 
Tacoma and Grays Harbor branch of that road resulted. At 
this writing the Oregon & Washington Kailway is making 
preparations to connect the Capital Cit}'' with their line, with 
further possibilities of transcontinental connection in the near 
future. 

Substantial fireproof buildings are taking the place of 
the old frames, paved streets are being actively extended and 
a spirit of enterprise has been the result of the advent of the 
new blood that is to take up the fight where the pioneer, after 
a hard fought battle, for which his successors delight to honor 
his memorv, laid down his burden and entered into his rest. 



56 THUR3T0N COUNTY 



@0mtm0rfnrps 



ISAAC INGALLS STEVENS 



Isaac I. Stevens, the first Governor, as well as the mos: 
prominent man identified with the early history of Washing- 
ton, was born in a farm house belonging to his father, Isaac 
Stevens, at Marble Ridge, Massachusetts. He first saw the 
light of day March 25, 1818, and sprang from an honorable 
line of ancestry, one of whom, John Stevens, was among the 
original founders of Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts. 

Even from tender infancy the little I.^aac gave promise of 
more than ordinary mentality. Before his fifth year t le lad 
was sent to school and soon astonished his teacher with his 
lemarkable power of memory and his application and devotion 
to study. After his tenth year he attended Franklin Academy 
in North Andover, where he studied t.ie usual English branc.ies. 
But about this time Isaac decided to leave school for a time to 
enter the woolen mills owned by his uncle near Andover. At 
the end of a year spent in the weaving room he became so 
proficient in his work that he was able to manage four looms 
at a time, thus excelling the most experienced workmen in that 
department of the factory. 

Having reached the age of fifteen years the young Stevens 
entered Phillips Academy in Andover. Here, while leading 
his classes in his studies, he paid for his board and lodging 
by making the garden and doing the chores about the place 
of a citizen of that town. 

One of his school mates in describing Stevens' first ap- 
pearance at the academy said: "The door opened and there 
(quietly entered an insignificant appearing boy carrying in his 
arms a load of books nearly as large as himself. But the im- 
pression of insignificance vanished as soon as one regarded his 




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PIONEER REMINISCENCES 57 

large head, earnest face and firm and fearless dark hazel 
eyes/' 

After a little over a year at this academy, through his 
excellent record for ability and scholarship, as well as the 
recommendations and efforts of his uncle, William Stevens, 
Isaac was appointed a cadet at West Point. 

Here he distinguished himself by rising to the head of his 
class in mathematics and during the entire four years' course 
so well did the young man bear himself that when the academic 
board came to review the standings of the memners of the 
class to award to each his proper grade it was found that 
Cadet Stevens stood at the head in every one of his studies. 

Upon graduation Stevens was promoted to be Second 
Lieutenant of Engineers and was ordered to proceed to 
Newport, R. I., to take part in the building of Fort 
Adams. At Newport the social life was much enjoyed by the 
young man, and it was while at a social gathering at this 
town that Lieutenant Stevens met the young lady who was 
afterwards to become his wife, Margaret Lyman Hazard. On 
July 1, 1840, Stevens received promotion to be First Lieutenant 
of the corps of engineers. His marriage to ]\Iiss Hazard occurred 
in September of the year following. Soon after his marriage 
Lieutenant Stevens was sent to Bedford to take charge of the 
repairs to the old fort there. And on June 9, 1842, a son 
M'as born to the young couple. This child was named Hazard. 
after the maternal grandfather. 

For the ensuing few years Lieutenant Stevens was in 
charge of engineering works at Portsmouth and later at Bucks- 
port, IMaine, and it was while engaged in this work that he 
i-eceived his orders for service in the Mexican war. Stevens' 
first work upon arriving at the seat of war was to seek out 
covered ways to allow the troops to pass to and from the bat- 
teries at Vera Cruz without loss from the enemies' fire. 

After taking this city by the U. S. soldiers, Stevens ac- 
companied the troops into the interior of ]Mexico and was made 
Adjutant of the Corps of Engineers. At the battle of Chapul- 
tepec a severe gunshot wound in the foot required his retiring 
from active service for the rest of the campaign. He was 
finally relieved and returned to the States. 

Again was he put in charge of military- works at various 



58 THURSTON COUNTY 

places in ]Maine and New Hampshire, continuing here for the 
next five years. 

When the brevets were announced from the war depart- 
ment Lieutenant Stevens was brevetted Captain, August 2, 
1847, for gallant and meritorious conduct in tlie battles of 
Contreras and Churubusco and ^lajor for gallant and meritor- 
ious conduct in the battle of Chapultepec. 

Major Stevens from now on for the following few years 
was engaged as assistant to Professor A. D. Boche, chief of 
the United States Coast survey. But in the Spring of 1853, 
President Franklin Pierce appointed Major Stevens Governor 
of the newly organized Territory of Washington. 

Save for a handful of settlers on the lower Columbia and 
on the shores of Puget Sound, and a few mining and trading 
posts in the interior, the whole vast region of Stevens' place 
of administration was unsettled and for the most part unex- 
plored by civilized man. It contained manj'^ thousand Indians 
who regarded the settlement of the territory by the white man 
with jealous eyes; the Indian title to the lands had not been 
extinguished and there were many troublous questions to be 
settled with the Hudson Bay Company, which still held its posts 
in the territory and claimed extensive rights as guaranteed 
by treaty. 

To govern a territory under these conditions would have 
appalled most men, but INIajor Stevens not only applied for the 
appointment as Governor, but also asked that he be placed in 
charge of the exploration of the most feasible route for the 
railroad from the Mississippi Kiver to the Pacific Coast. Con- 
gress had recently appropriated $150,000 for the explorative 
survey of the proposed railroad. 

When the appointment as Governor to Washington Terri- 
tory was confirmed. Major Stevens was 36 years of age and in 
the full prime and vigor of his manhood. Besides the stupen- 
dous task involved in the administration as chief executive in 
a new and unknown territory, with surroundings and experi- 
ences totally different from any he had met in previous ex- 
periences. Governor Stevens was also, by virtue of his appoint- 
ment, made Superintendent of Indian affairs in the West. 
Surely the reader must be impressed with the courage and 
mental strength exhibited by Isaac I. Stevens in undertaking 
these duties and responsibilities, in addition to the formidible 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 59 

undertaking of exploring a railroad route to the Pacific Coast, 
through a totally unknown wilderness. How ably he re- 
sponded to the demands laid upon him is a matter of history. 

Assembling an outfit at St. Paul, Minnesota, in which task 
Governor Stevens was called upon to overcome what to many 
would have been unsurmountable difficulties, the exploring 
party started for the far off Pacific Coast. A history of this 
famous exploring trip, compiled by the Governor's son, Hazard 
Stevens, from the diary kept by his illustrious father, reads 
like a romance of adventure, so many exciting experiences 
were encountered and so manj^ hardships and dangers suc- 
cessfully overcome. 

Arriving at the Columbia River, Governor Stevens fol- 
lowed the only route at that time to reach Olympia, the capital 
of the new Territory. Up the Cowlitz river by canoe, where 
the Indian crew had to progress foot by foot against the cur- 
rent of the flooded river, sometimes pulling the frail craft along 
by the overhanging bushes, then over a muddy trail by horse 
back, Stevens reached Olympia November 25, 1853, just five 
months and nineteen days since starting from St. Paul. 

He found waiting for him his new Territorial Secretary, 
Charles Mason; Edward Lander, Chief Justice; J. V. Clen- 
dennin, District Attorney; J. Patton Anderson, Marshal, and 
Simpson P. Moses, Collector of Customs. 

These officials had reached Olympia, coming via the Isth- 
mus to San Francisco, then by boat to Portland, and then up 
the Cowlitz River and over the trail. 

To quote from Hazard Stevens' "Life of Isaac I. Stevens": 

"It was indeed a wild country, untouched by civilization. 
A scanty white population numbering 3,965, were widely scat- 
tered over Western Washington and the Strait of Fuca. Among 
the settlers were Columbus Lancaster, on Lewis River; Seth 
Catlin, Dr. Nathanial Ostrander and the Huntingtons, on the 
Cowlitz; Alexander S. Abernethy, at Oak Point, and Judge 
William Strong at Cathalamet." 

The Governor's first act was to issue his proclamation 
for the election of a delegate to Congress and members of the 
first Territorial Legislature and summoning that body to meet 
in Olympia on the 28th of February, 1854. 

His next official act was to visit the Indian tribes around 
the Sound and to generally explore the waters of Puget Sound, 



60 - THURSTON COUNTY 

Elliott Bay and the Straits, to learn of the general character 
of the harbors, etc. As this cruise Avas taken in an open 
sailboat, it conld hardly be regarded as a holiday excursion 
in that stormy season, and among the swift tides and fierce 
gales of the lower Sound. 

One of the objects accomplished on this cruise was the 
decision that the little settlement of Seattle was the logical 
terminus for the proposed transcontinental railroad. 

At the assembling of the Legislature, when Governor 
Stevens delivered his first message, after reviewing the natural 
resources of this territory, he recommended the adoption of a 
code of laws, the organization of the country east of the Cas- 
cades into counties, a school system with military training in 
the higher schools and the organization of the militia. 

The Legislature adopted all these resolutions with the 
exception of the one regarding the militia, which omission 
proved to be unfortunate, as it left the people defenseless when 
the Indian war broke out less than two years later. After the 
close of the Legislature Governor Stevens returned to Wash- 
ington, D. C, to make his report to the Department of the ex- 
ploring and engineering expedition, and also to urge upon 
Congress the claims of the new territory. 

Completing his work in the National Capitol, Governor 
and ]\Irs. Stevens, with their four children, the two youngest 
being only two and four years old, respectively, sailed from 
New York, September 20. 1854. en route for their far western 
home. 

The rough experiences of this refined and cultured family 
in coming up the CoAvlitz and over the trail and their bitter 
disappointment when beholding the capital city is graphically 
described in a letter written by Mrs. Stevens and reproducea 
in the historical sketch of Thurston County in the opening 
chapters of this volume. 

The Governor's family were installed in quarters consist- 
ing of two long, one-story buildings, one room wide, unplas- 
tered, but lined inside with cotton cloth. In the rear was a 
large yard extending to the beach. An Indian camp began at 

the corner of the yard. 

In the midst of these novel scenes and experiences the 
family soon began to feel at home and enjoy the western life. 



PIONEEK REMINISCENCES 61 

The Governor's da.vs were now filled with strenuous labor, 
making treaties with the Indians, holding council with the 
Chiefs and endeavoring to cultivate their good will. 

A history of the various treaties entered into between Gov- 
^^rnor Stevens and the Indian tribes, the councils held and the 
long, dangerous and fatiguing expeditions taken by the Gov- 
ernor, would more than fill the pages of this volume, conse- 
quently only a brief mention is all that space will alh)w. and 
that of the most important ones. 

Governor Stevens was in the Blackfoot country holding 
council with the assembled bands and had just taken up his 
homeward march when a messenger, dispatched by Acting 
Governor ]\Iason, reached him with the startling intelligence 
that all the great tribes of the upper Columbia country, includ- 
ing the Cayuses, Walla Wallas, Yakimas, Palouses, Umatillas. 
and all the Oregon Indian bands down to The Dalles, had 
broken out in open warfare. 

Stevens at once, and with incredible difficulty, hastened 
back to Washington, and after doing what he could to establish 
peace with the warring savages, undertook to reach Puget 
Sound by forced marches. This trip was taken in the dead 
of winter over and through deep snows in the mountains, 
fording icy rivers and with scant provision and no comforts. 

When Ol^inpia was finally reached he found the entire 
coimtry was overwhelmed. The settlers had fled for refuge 
to the small villages, with no resources of food or money. 
Starvation stared the pioneers in the face if prevented from 
planting and raising crops. There was also a deficiency of 
arms and ammunition. It was small wonder that the settlers 
were discouraged, and nothing kept many of them from leav- 
ing the country but their inability to get away. 

The Governor, by proclamation, raised 1,000 volunteers, 
called upon the people to build block houses and proceed Vi^ith 
tilling the soil. He required all Indians on the eastern side 
of the Sound to move into reservations, sent agents to Port- 
land, San Francisco and Victoria with urgent appeals for 
arms, ammunition and supplies. He issued territorial certifi- 
cates of indebtedness to pay the volunteers, he freely resorted 
to impressment of teams, supplies, etc., wherever necessarj% and 
while he appealed to the patriotism and good feeling of th(; 



62 THURSTON COUNTY 

volunteers he enforced strict discipline and punished miscon- 
duct. The people responded to the Governor's appeal with true 
American spirit and patriotism. 

The Governor's policy during the war which folloAved was 
an aggressive one. His volunteers pursued the bands of In- 
dians, routing them and keeping them from uniting with other 
bands. 

The history of the Indian war of 1855-56 is not within 
the scope of this work, but vivid pen pictures of individual ex- 
periences are given from time to time in the reminiscences of 
the pioneers interviewed by the compiler. At the close of the 
war Governor Stevens disbanded the volunteers and disposed 
of the animals, equipment and supplies on hand at public auc- 
tion- Owing to the large number captured there were more 
animals sold at the several auctions than the entire number 
purchased for the volunteer service. The sales of property 
netted more than $150,000. As the expenses of the volunteers 
had been paid in scrip the sales were made for scrip and many 
of the settler volunteers were glad to purchase stock, wagons 
and supplies in that way, although scrip money depreciated 
but little below par value. 

Owing to the discouraging condition of the territory after 
the Indian war and owing to the stand taken by the agents 
of the Hudson Bay Company, Governor Stevens was compelled 
at this time to issue a proclamation of martial law. This called 
for considerable censure from the enemies of the young Gov- 
ernor, but at a mass meeting held at the block house in the 
capital city, the course of the executive was fully endorsed with 
but 12 dissenting votes. Judge B. F. Yantis presided at this 
mass meeting and J. W. Goodell acted as secretary. 

During the time of the Indian trouble the Stevens family 
remained in Olympia, the children attending the public school, 
presided over by Rev. George F. Whitworth and his wife. 

Upon the return of peace the Governor began the con- 
struction of a home on the block of land he had purchased 
soon after his arrival in Olympia, which building is standing 
to this day, still in the possession of the son. Hazard Stevens. 

Upon completion of the house. Governor and ]\Irs. Stevens 
gave a house warming, to which were invited the members of 
the Legislature, and all the townspeople. A description of this 
first Governor's reception to be held in Washington, is given 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 65 

in the reminiscences contributed by Mrs. J. G. Parker. The 
Governor, soon after his arrival in the West, adopted the garb 
of the country, slouch hat, woolen shirt and heavy ridin" 
boots — a garb suitable for one constantly undertaking Jong and 
arduous journeys horseback and by canoe. 

In 1857 Stevens was elected Delegate to Congress, and in 
the Fall of that year resigned as Governor of Washington, re- 
turning with his family to the National Capital by way of 
Panama. 

Congress adjourning, the Stevens family again returned 
to their Olympia home, where they lived in peace and hajjpi- 
ness until Stevens was again elected for a second term as 
Congressman. 

At this second term the Governor devoted his best ener- 
gies to securing payment of the Indian war debt. He was suc- 
cessful in securing good appropriations for military roads be- 
tween Fort Benton and Walla Walla and between, Steilacoom 
and Vancouver, secured $4500 for a boundary survey between 
Oregon and Washington, $95,000 for the Indian service, and 
also secured a new land office and district for the southern 
part of the territory. 

The M^ar shadow was now hovering over the land and 
Stevens, upon his return to Washington, was instrumental in 
raising a company in Olympia, known as the Puget Sound 
Rifles, of which company he was elected Captain. 

Stevens now engaged in waging the third campaign for 
election as Delegate to Congress, in which he was opposed 
by Selucius Garfielde, but before the election was held, news 
of the attack on Fort Sumter reached the Pacific Coast. 

Governor Stevens at once withdrew his name as candidate 
for re-election to tender his service to his country. 

Here properly ends the life story of Isaac Ingalls Stevens 
as connected with the early history of Washington. A record 
of his military career and the soldier's death at the battle 
of Chantilly belong by rights to the historian of the Civil War. 

General Stevens fell in battle at the moment of victory. 
He had grasped the colors from a dying standard bearer, and 
was charging to the front, cheering to encourage his men, 
when the fatal shot found its mark. As he lay in death his 
hand grasped the flag staff, with the colors, for which the noble 
life had been freely given, resting upon his head and shoulders. 



64 



THURSTON COUNTV 



A brief resume of the results achieved by Governor 
Stevens' seven years management of the affairs of the new 
territory show that he had made exploration of the northern, 
route for a transcontinental railroad, had made treaties with 
30,000 Indians, had extiugaiished Indian titles to many thous- 
ands of acres of Washington land, established peace among 
hereditary enemies over a larger area than New England and 
the Middle States, and by waging an aggressive warfare against 
the savage foe had saved the settlements from extinction. In 
addition to this Stevens took such a fimi stand against British 
aggression at the time the controversy over possession of the 
San Juan Islands arose that this valuable group was saved 
to the United States. At the end of the war he disbanded the 
volunteers and adjusted financial claims to the satisfaction of 
the majority. Over three quarters of a million dollars were 
disbursed for the government, all accounts for which were 
found to be correct. 

In his career in Congress he secured the ratification of his 
Indian treaties, payment of the Indian war debt, the opening: 
of the interior to settlement and- the punishment of Indian 
murderers'. 




<1^ 

ELISHA P. FKRRY 



SELUCIUS GARFIEI^DE 




EI.WOOD EVANS JAMES BII^ES 

FOUR MASONIC PAST GRAND MASTERS 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 65 



ELISHA P. FERRY 



Elisha P. Ferry, the first Governor of the State of Wash- 
ington, and Territorial Governor for two consecutive terms 
beginning with April, 1872, is remembered among the pioneers 
as the greatest of all Governors, I. I. Stevens alone excepted. 
During his many years' residence in Olympia Governor Ferry 
was acknowledged to have been a man of good business ability, 
prudent, tactful, painstaking, in thinking as well as in action, 
possessed of rare good judgment and great firmness of char- 
acter, as well as a good lawyer. He possessed all the acquire- 
ments as well as the natural qualities that go toward making 
a good executive. 

A native of Michigan, E. P. Ferry studied law there and 
later in Fort Wayne, Indiana, being admitted to the bar in 
1845 at the age of 20. His first start in life after his gradua- 
tion was made in Waukegan, Illinois, where he practised law 
until 1869. He was first Mayor of this town, twice Presidential 
Elector, a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1861 
and afterwards a Bank Commissioner. 

When the Civil war began, Ferry served for a time as As- 
sistant Adjutant General and helped materially in organizing 
and equipping many of the early Illinois regiments and getting 
them ready for the field. While engaged in this service he be- 
came acquainted with U. S. Grant, which acquaintance soon 
ripened into friendship, and after Grant became President he 
appointed Ferry Surveyor General of the rapidly developing 
Territory of Washington. This appointment was made in 
1869, and Ferry brought his family to Olympia, which city 
they regarded as their home until the removal of Governor 
Ferry to Seattle a few years before his death. 

In 1872 President Grant appointed Mr. Ferry Territorial 
Governor, and at the expiration of that four-year term re- 
appointed him to the same position. At the expiration of 
eight years as territorial executive Governor Ferry began the 



ce 



THURSTOX COUNTY 



practise of law in Seattle, continning- until the admission of 
Washington into statehood, when he was elected Governor by 
an overwhelming- vote of the people. 

Governor Ferry returned to Seattle, but was claimed by 
death within a few years after the end of his term. 

Hls widow made her home witJi their daughter, Mrs. John 
Leary. until the past few years, when she. too. passed away. 

Besides ^Irs. Leary, there are remaining of the Ferry 
familv. Pierre and James Ferrv. 



PIONEER REirrXISCENCES «T 



SAMUEL L. CRAWFORD 



My father. Ronald C. Crawford, and my mother. Elizabeth 
Jane Moore, came to Oregon in 1S47. my father from New 
York, and my mother from Illinois. Father's elder brother 
Medonim. was of the immigration of 1842. and my maternal 
grandfather, Robert iloore. was of the Peoria expedition of 
iS40. and both were members of the Champogue meeting, 
where the provisional government of Oregon was formed, 
my grandfather being Chairman of the Committee on Reso- 
lutions, and drafted the organic law which, when adopted by 
the convention, became the law of the provisional government 
of the territory of Oregon, or more particularly what was 
called the Oregon country*. 

Mother was a little girl of 10 years of age when she 
reached her home in the West and the lad who afterwards 
became my father, ten years older. In the course of time the 
young couple became acquainted and were married, seven 
children having been bom to them. Only five of these children 
are still living. I. Samuel L.. being the second chUd. 

My early youth was .spent in Walla Walla. Oregon City 
and Salem, in all of which towns I attended school. When 
while quite a young lad. and still living with my parents. 
I attended school in OK^mpia. My teacher here was the late 
Professor L. P. Venen. who. at that time, was conducting a 
private school in Olympia. Then I went to the public schools 
of the town, and enjoyed the companionship of lads and 
lassies who, many of them, have become among the prominent 
men and women of the now prosperous State of Washington. 
Among those whom I am able to recall at this writing are: 
Levi Shelton, now a prominent citizen of Tacoma; Cynthia 
Shelton, who afterwards became the wife of P. B. Van Trump, 
who with Hazard Stevens, made the first complete ascent of 
Mt. Rainier in ISTO; Clarence W. Coulter, now prominently 
connected with Seattle bu-siness affairs : Bradford W. Davis. 



68 THURSTON COUNTY 

now with the railroad mail service ; Anna Pullen, afterwards 
]\Irs. Matthew A. Kelly. i\Ir. Kelly was formerly a prominent 
druggist of Seattle. George E. Blankenship. who took up the 
printing business, and has stayed on the old stamping ground , 
Fannie Yantis. who afterwards married Capt. J. J. Gilbert, 
prominent in the Coast and Geodetic Survey ; Anna Stevens. 
who afterwards became the wife of the Hon. John F. Gowey, 
who was connected with the United States land office in 
Olympia and later was made minister to China, whei^e he 
was residing at the time of his death, in the early part of the 
present century ; S. C. Woodruff, Superintendent of the Hos- 
pital for Defective Youth at Medical Lake ; Georgia Percival. 
now the widow of the late T. N. Ford, at one time Treasurer 
of the Territory of Washington ; her brother, Samuel M. Per- 
cival, being until recently connected with the state road bu- 
reau and whose wife, Druzie Percival, is well known in all the 
Sound cities as a musical composer of more than ordinary 
talent; Francis A. Treen, who afterwards developed a beau- 
tiful tenor voice, with which he gave much pleasure to his 
friends and acquaintances for many years; Emma Clark, who 
afterwards married her teacher, the late L. P. Venen ; Josie 
Clark, afterwards Mrs. Dellie Woodard ; Nellie Parker, now 
Mrs. Herbert McMicken, and many others whose names are 
now but a dim and cherished memory. 

After graduating from marbles in the field of amusements, 
at which game I was proficient and kept my pockets well filled 
with the winnings from the other boys when we played "for 
keeps," base ball demanded my attention for several years. 
In our team were Clarence Bagley, L. A. Treen, Cal, Jim and 
Frank jMcFadden and many other Olympians. 

In September, 1871, I entered the office of the Washington 
Standard, published by John Miller Murphy, as "devil," to 
learn the printer's trade. There I worked until 1875, when I 
left the office to accept the position of assistant Clerk in the 
Lower House of the Legislative Assembly, of which my father 
was a member from Lewis CouQty. 

At the expiration of the term of the Legislature I worked 
for Clarence Bagley, who was at that time public printer. When 
the public work was finished I went to work for Francis Cook, 
at that time publisher of the Morning Echo. Cook had » 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 69 

chicken ranch on a place called Hardserabble, in Mason County. 
The skunks were numerous and detracted from the financial 
returns of the chicken ranch, and as he found it difficult to 
be at both places at once he arranged with me to run the 
paper so he could devote his energies to the chickens. The 
paper could only afford one salary and that, of course, to go 
to me, and I was left to rustle my own assistance as best I 
could. 

Now, I developed a regular Tom Sawyer genius for work- 
ing my boon companions, and with such jolly spirits as Harry 
K. Struve, Ren Patterson, Yakima Jimmie and Peter Stanup, 
I managed to get along very well. The work was rather 
strenuous, as I commenced rustling news early in the marning. 
wrote up the paper in the late forenoons and early afternoons, 
then helped the boys set the type, and in the evening worked 
off the forms, and finally distributed the paper throughout 
the city myself, getting to my bed (which was located in the 
banking house of George Barnes & Co.) about two o'clock in 
the morning, after eating up everything in the way of fruit 
and cake that Mr. Barnes had remaining from his lunch at 
noonday. 

During the summer of this year I arrived at my majority. 
Mr. Cook, who had visited the paper from his chicken ranch, 
had inserted an item to the effect that on June 22 the Echo 
man would be 2]. Imagine my surprise on reaching the office 
that morning to find a table loaded down with all sorts of 
presents. My old friend and Sunday school teacher, the Rev. 
John R. Thompson, had sent me a handsome copy of Bunyan'-^ 
Pilgrim's Progress, George A. Barnes a copy of Hill's Business 
Forms, and a number of other books from Francis H. Cook 
snd other friends. Mr. and ]\Irs. L. A. Treen, then living in 
Olympia, sent me a can of milk, ]Mrs. T. M. Reed, wife of the 
lamented Hon. Thomas Reed, the well remembered and loved 
pioneer, sent me a large fruit cake, all decorated with frosted 
flowers, together with this little note : 
"To the Echo man of twenty-one 
This little token's offered. 
May the joys of life, like Summer sun. 
E'er shine on Sammy Crawford." 
I still cherish this kindly token from Mrs. Reed, and I am 



70 THURSTON COUNTY 

8orry that both she and her husband have passed to the Great 
Beyond. 

While these joyous days, fraught with hard work but 
plenty of fun, were passing in Olympia, things were also do- 
ing in Seattle. While a Clerk in the 1875 Legislature the whole 
assembly of Legislators made a trip to Steilacoom and to 
Seattle, the latter place to investigate the needs of the TJni- 
versity. The "fast and commodious" steamer, the Zephyr, had 
been chartered for that junket, and was to leave Olympia 
at 7 :30 in the morning, stopping first at Steilacoom. When 
I got up that morning I found the steamer had left — so was 
L While wondering what I was to do, I met Bob Abrams 
and several other members of the Legislature, who were in 
my predicament also. We rushed to interview Ed. Harmon, a 
well remembered Jehu of Olympia, and after telling him of 
our troubles, arranged with him to beat the steamer to Steila- 
coom. He agreed to forfeit a considerable consideration if he 
failed. But he didn't fail. We came on from Steilacoom to 
Seattle with the rest of the bunch — mv first visit to the Queen 
City. 

The citizens gave a dance that evening in honor of the 
visiting Legislature in Yesler's Hall. Bailey Gatzert was 
mayor. All the old settlers, including Mr. and Mrs. Yesler, 
turned out. Seattle then had a population of 1500, but they 
vrere all alive and kicking. There was not hotel accommoda- 
tions enough to care for the visitors, and the members and their 
wives were entertained at the homes of the private citizens. 
Father and mother were entertained by Mr. and Mrs. L. N. 
Robbins, whose beautiful home then stood on the block directly 
south of the late old Hotel Rainier. 

I had been invited to spend the night with my boyhood 
friend, George E. Blankenship, then employed on The Dis- 
patch, by Brown & Bell, who roomed at the house of M. A. 
Kelly on Third and Seneca Streets. On reaching his room some 
time after midnight, we found the bed occupied by Ed. Pullen, 
a brother of ]\Irs. Kelly, who had "dropped in unexpectedly." 
We returned down town and after visiting the various hotels 
and not finding accommodations, decided to spend the re- 
mainder of the night on the hay stored in the open warehouse 
at the end of Yesler's wharf. We found this hay literally 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 71 

covered with sleeping men, and after amusing ourselves n 
while tying some of them hand and foot with heaving lines, 
we again started up town, George to seek his rest on a pile 
of paper in the office and I to fare much better. During the 
day my friend, the late Howard W. Lewis, had told me his 
room was the third door on the left hand side from the head 
of the stairs in the Wyckoff Honse, and I could sleep with him. 
About two o'clock in the morning those kind words recnrred 
to me very prominently and going to the Wyckoff House, which 
stood on the present site of the Alaska building, 1 climbed 
the stairs, opened the third door on the left, and found 
my friend sleeping in a spacious bed, and there ended my 
first night in Seattle. 

During this brief visit I was so impressed with the business 
enterprise of Seattle, although it was then a smaller town 
than Olympia, that I told my mother I would venture my 
fortunes here at the first opportunity. This chance came the 
following year. The Daily Intelligencer was launched on the 
first day of June, 1876, by the late David Higgins. I had 
gained some reputation as a pressman in Olympia, and as 
Mr. Higgins had introduced a power press in his establish- 
ment, he wrote and offered me charge of his press room, to- 
gether with what composition I could do when not occupied 
about the press. As the salary offered was satisfactory, I ac- 
cepted the offer, and on the 2-4th of June I left Oiympia and 
took up my work on the Intelligencer the following morning. 
After I had boarded the steamer Alida at Olympia, Mr. Cook 
sent two of the Milroy boys to the wharf to induce me to de- 
fer my trip. I hid away to avoid temptation till after the 
steamer had left the wharf, and there was never thereafter 
an issue of the Morning Echo published. Mr. Cook moved his 
plant to New Tacoma and published the Tacoma Herald for 
some time, after which he again moved his plant to Spokane 
Falls, where he founded the Spokane Chronicle. 

The office of the Intelligencer at this time was in a two 
story and basement wooden building belonging to H. L. Yesler, 
on First Avenue, at the foot of Cherry street. The First Pres- 
byterian church, corner of Third and Madison Streets, had 
recently been completed and was staggering under a load of 
debt and was heavily mortgaged. My old friend. Rev. John 



72 THURSTON COUNTY 

R. Thompson, of Ol.ympia, ont of the bigness of his heart and 
his love for the Christian organization with which he was 
allied, had taken it upon himself to relieve the church of this 
burden, and he travelled from Portland to Seattle, soliciting 
funds from his personal friends, wiiom he numbered by the 
hundreds. Arriving at Seattle he told me of his mission, and 
asked me what I was willing to do. I told him I had just 
finished my tirst week's w^ork in this town and when I got 
my pay I would settle my board bill and give what was left 
to help him in his cause. 

Rev. Thompson, years afterwards, accompanied the First 
Washington Volunteers to the Philippines as Chaplain of the 
regiment. He was dearly beloved by all the brave soldier boys, 
but was stricken with the fever prevalent in that country, and 
did not live to return to his adopted State of Washington, 
which he so dearly loved. 

When I came to Seattle I brought a baseball and bat with 
me and at odd times would go out on what was then known 
as Occidental Square and pass the ball around. I soon found 
a number of congenial spirits, but no organization of a nine 
was effected for several weeks. One day a challenge appeared 
in a paper from an organization in Newcastle, offering to play 
any nine in King County, Seattle preferred, on any day in the 
future, on any grounds selected by the challenged team. I 
called this to the attention of my friends of Occidental Square, 
who arranged for some practice games on the old University 
grounds, and we found we could play some ball. They au- 
thorized me to accept the challenge, on behalf of the Alki Base 
Ball Club of Seattle. The game was played two weeks from 
the following Saturday. I do not remember the score, but I 
do remember that no one of the challenging team ever got be- 
yond second base. The Alkis at once sprung into prominence, 
and for years met all comers from Olympia to Victoria. In 
those days amateur ball was played exclusively, and each 
community had its team made up of its young citizenship, and 
took great pride in their performances and success. It was 
through baseball that I went from the mechanical to the news 
department of the Intelligencer. The Alkis had been to Vic- 
toria on the Queen's birthday of, I think, 1878, and w'on a great 
victory over the famous Amity team of that City. On our re- 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 73 

turn I asked the managing editor if they had arranged for a 
report of the game. He said, in apparent great distress, that 
the matter had been overlooked and asked me who he could 
get to write the story. I told him I didn't know. "Can you 
do it?" he asked. "I can try," I answered. So well pleased, 
apparently, was he with my brief account of the 'game, that 
he sent for me the next morning and requested me to take 
charge of the local page of the paper. I remained in that de- 
partment during the remainder of my career on the paper, 
and its successor, the Post-Intelligencer, extending over a 
period of about 13 years. 

A couple of years after my connection with the Intelli- 
gencer Thaddeus Hanford, a young college man, and brother 
of Judge C. H. Hanford, bought a half interest in the paper 
and assumed its editorial control, and later acquired the Hig- 
gins interest. Soon afterwards I induced Mr. Thomas W. 
Prosch, an experienced newspaper man of Olympia, Tacoma 
and Seattle, to buy a half interest in the paper. He and Han- 
ford were so unlike in their tastes and ideas and manner of 
operating a daily publication, that they decided to agree to 
disagree almost immediately and Hanford agreed to sell his 
interest in the paper for $5000. Prosch came to me to buy it. 
"But," said I, "I have only $960; where am I to get the 
balance of the purchase price?" He answered. "I think if 
you rustle around a little, you can borrow it. I will let you 
have, on your note, $540, to be paid out of the earnings of the 
paper. This leaves you only $3500 to borrow." I went to 
Judge Orange Jacobs, who had just returned from a term as 
Delegate to Congress, and told him of my wants, and to my 
joyous surprise, he lent me the money, taking as security my 
stock in the paper secured by an insurance policy on the 
plant. I paid him the then going rate of interest, IVij per 
cent, a month, and paid 10 per cent premium on the fire in- 
surance policy to secure him. By hard work and careful man- 
agement I succeeded in discharging all my debts, principal 
and interest, besides a lot of indebtedness against the paper, 
some $3000, for white paper and telegraphic services, of which 
neither Mr. Prosch nor I knew anything at the time of our 
purchase, within two years. 

In 1882 the Intelligencer was consolidated with the Post, 



74 THURSTON COUNTY 

a daily, owned by John Leary and George W. Harris, but 
which was proving a losing venture. This was the beginning 
of the long and glorious career in the newspaper field of the 
Post-Intelligencer. About this time trouble arose with tht; 
Printers' Union, and I was unwilling to. accede to terras de- 
manded by this body of workmen, so sold my interest in the 
P.-I. to Mr. Prosch and became an employe on the paper. 

On the 30th day of October, 1888, I finally severed my 
connection with the Post-Intelligencer, to enter the real estate 
business in partnership with ]\Ir. Charles F. Conover, who had 
been associated with me on the paper for a couple of years 
previously. Owing to our wide acquaintance, growing out of 
our long connection with the paper, our new venture prospered 
almost from the start. We opened an office in the new Yesler 
block, on Yesler Avenue. That evening we gave a banquet 
to our late associates on the paper, the members of the edi- 
torial, news and business staff, and it was some banquet, too. 
It was given at the Occidental, which was on the site of the 
present Hotel Seattle. 

We busied ourselves during the next 25 days in listing 
properties and publishing advertisements and announcements. 
By that time our capital was pretty, well exhausted, and we 
had not taken in a cent. On the 27th a stranger came to the 
office to have some notary work done, and we charged him a 
dollar. We put that dollar in an envelope, marked it our 
first dollar, locked it in the safe and have the identical coin to 
this day. The next day we sold 11 lots and eight houses to 
the late Ursula Wyckoff for $20,000. Her son, J. V. Wyckoff, 
still owns four of the lots, valued at over $120,000. From 
that time on business was quite active and at the expiration 
of our first year our commissions amounted to upwards of 
$50,000. In the summer of 1889, we placed the Renton addi- 
tion on the market for Capt. W. H. Renton, of Port Blakely, 
and sold fifteen lots the first day at prices ranging from $700 
to $1,000 each. 

The next day the great Seattle fire took place, and burned 
our office, together with the greater part of the business por- 
tion of Seattle. I was in Port Blakely when I was told that 
Seattle was burning, and induced the captain of the steamer 
Success to leave a half hour earlier than schedule time for 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 75 

home. Frye's Opera House was burning when I got Seattle 
on the wire at Blakely. When I reached our office I was mad 
to find all of our furniture piled out on the sidewalk in front 
of the Yesler building. I demanded to know why it was not 
hauled to safety, and was told of the impossibility of getting 
teams. I rushed across the street where was the owner of 
teams and who had for years expressed the warmest friend- 
ship for me. But he said he could do nothing for us. I was 
very angry and went on down to Yesler 's wharf, where I found 
a man unloading brick. I hired him for $5 to go with me 
to move my furniture. While standing in the wagon with 
him, directing where to drive, and when we left the wharf 
excited men began rushing up to my driver and began shout- 
ing, "$50 a load, $75 a load, $100 a load," etc. The man 
asked me what they meant and I told him to drive on, they 
were all crazy. We rushed the furniture onto the wagon and 
J directed the man where to drive. Then I rushed to the Post- 
Intelligencer office, where I met the business manager and 
asked him if the bound files of the paper had been saved. He 
said they had not and would not be, as no effort would be 
made to save them. I notified him that I would undertake the 
task and would brook no interference. The fire was then 
burning the building between Cherry Street and Yesler Avenue. 
Unaided, I carried those files, four volumes at a time, up to 
Third and James and placed them in the custody of Mrs. 
Bailey Gatzert. The next day I met Mr. Hunt and asked him 
if he had saved his files. He replied that they had been burned 
with the office, and that no money could reimburse him for 
their loss. I then told him I had saved them for him and gave 
him an order on Mrs. Gatzert for their return. I judge the 
files which I saved of daily, weekly and tri-weekly from the 
beginning of the paper up to that time weighed in the neigh- 
borhood of a ton and a half and they were almost worth their 
weight in gold. The paper afterwards published the fact 
that the files had been saved and gave me due credit for their 
preservation. The next morning the paper was published in a 
much condensed form and contained but two advertisements — 
one announcing ■ the change of location of the Puget Sound 
National Bank and the other notifying the public that Craw- 
ford & Conover had temporarily moved their real estate of- 



76 THURSTON COUNTY 

fice to 615 Union Street. A couple of days later my mother 
sent me word that if were going to continue to advertise our 
office at her home she wanted me to send some one there to 
show property, as customers were constantly calling and she 
knew nothing about the real estate business. 

The firm of Crawford & Conover recently celebrated their 
25th anniversary in business by moving into spacious quar- 
ters in our own building near the corner of Third and Pine. 
In a book descriptive of the thriving City of Seattle and the 
rapidly developing State of Washington, which we published 
for public distribution at an expense of $15,000, entitled, 
"Washington, the Evergreen State, and Seattle, Its Metrop- 
olis," we gave this commonwealth the soubriquet of "Ever- 
green State," which has since been adopted as Washington's 
universal and most appropiate name." 

Mr. Crawford has always been a public spirited man and 
has performed many acts of kindness and benevolence, which 
has made his name entitled to honorable mention among the 
list of philanthropists of the State of Washington. His enter- 
prise of collecting funds for the erection of the monument over 
the last resting place of the late Princess Angeline was a 
praiseworthy undertaking and one which gave ]\Ir. Crawford 
much satisfaction. Angeline and Crawford had for years been 
close tillicums, the white man frequently calling on the prin- 
cess to be sure she was not suffering for the necessities of life. 
During her latter years, after she was unable to help herself, 
many a timely gift of money or provisions were sent by the 
kindly man. When the weight of years was heavy upon 
Angeline and it was evident she would soon join her father. 
Chief Seattle, in the Happy Hunting Ground, Mr. Crawford 
asked her where she wished to take her long sleep, in the white 
man's graveyard or beside her father's remains. "Oh, let 
me be buried with my white tillicums, who have been so good 
to me!" and her wish was respected. 

Mr. Crawford started a movement among the children of 
Seattle to raise a fund for the erection of a monument by 
10 cent contributions. The children responded gladl}', al- 
though the promoter of the scheme had to supply part of the 
expense from his own pocket. Granite from the mountain 
of that name in the Cascades, was employed in the handsome 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 77 

and appropriate monument which marks the resting place oi' 
the Princess Angeline, and Mr. Crawford tells that even to this 
day her grave is covered with bouquets of daisies and other 
common flowers, sometimes tied with white twine string, 
placed there by childish hands whose owners feel a personal 
interest in the spot because they had helped to build the 
monument. 

For several years after Mr. Crawford had retired from 
active newspaper work the itch remained with him and a 
column of "Reminiscences" contributed to the Sunday edi- 
tion of the Post-Intelligencer, was one of the features of that 
l>aper. When Mr. Crawford had been writing these reminis- 
cences for several years, Mrs. Crawfod collected all her hus- 
band's writings in a large scrapbook and presented it to him 
as a valentine present. The columns of this scrapbook are 
replete with interesting and amusing incidents of pioneer his- 
tory, not only of Seattle, where Mr. Crawford has spent the 
greater number of years of his majority, but also of Olympia. 
The compiler of this book spent a most delightful evening 
skimming over Mr. Crawford's scrap book and listening to the 
author of the sketches elaborate on the printed stories and 
relate the circumstances w^hich gave rise to a particular event. 
Such a bewildering richness of material was offered the com- 
piler that it was difficult to select a limited number of the most 
typical sketches. But among those which interested the writer 
most were the following: 

During the Republican campaign of 1869 Selueius Gar- 
fielde was a candidate for Representative to Congress. In 
order to secure his election I\Ir. Garfielde, as is the custom to 
this day, made many pre-election promises. Candidates for 
office seem to have been as plentiful in those good old days as 
they are at this later day. Came the election and the men who 
had been promised a friendly word in high places worked 
tooth and nail for Mr. Garfielde 's election, with the result that 
he was winner by a good majority. Rejoicing, the candidates 
who had pinned their faith to the Congressional Delegate, hur- 
ried to bring him enough endorsements and testimonials of 
their peculiar fitness for political jobs to which they aspired, 
to stuff a good-sized trunk to bursting. Garfielde suavely 
accepted all the papers and with smiles and promises to see 



1i THURSTON COUNTY 

the powers on behalf of his Washington Territory friends as 
soon as he arrived in the National capitol. It took a long time 
in those days to make the trip to Washington, D. C, but the 
Olympia politicians awaited w^ord from their political sponsor 
xvith what patience they might. Days rolled into weeks and 
then months rolled over the men who were impatient to be- 
gin on their official duties — also their official salaries. Letters 
were sent Congressman Garfielde, but no answer was received. 
Finally, quite desperate, a telegram was sent Garfielde de- 
manding to know why the appointments were not forthcoming 
"Trunk and all endorsements lost!" was the answer wired 
Ijack. Mr. Garfielde had found, as do Western Congressmen 
ever, that when they arrive in Washington, D. C, keeping pre- 
election promises are not always possible. The town wit, but 
whether that was Francis Henry or Fred Eltze is a disputed 
question, drew a caricature of a mammoth trunk flying through 
the air and in this trunk, with gi^otesque expressions on their 
faces, which, although caricatured most fantistically, were yet 
plainly recognizable, were pictured the disappointed politi- 
cians. Although that caricature was made almost 45 years 
Kgo many of the old timers, on being shown the photograph 
which John Yantis made of the drawing, recognize their 
friends and smile over the remembrance of Mr. Garfielde 's 
lost trunk. There were L. P. Beach, Randall Hewitt, Cherokee 
Smith, Judge Dennison, Rev. Whitworth, Judge Struve, of 
Vancouver; Elwood Evans. W. W. Miller, A. R. Elder and 
Hon. P. D, Moore — the latter perfectly recognizable to the 
friends of the present day. Struve 's feet were sticking out 
the side of the trunk, a reference to his large extremities. In 
fact, the most characteristic feature of each of the men pictured 
in the trunk was prominently brought out and enlarged on. 

During a later and still more famous campaign between 
Seiucius Garfielde and Hon. Obadiah B. McFadden for election 
as Delegate to Congress in the year of 1872, Mr. Francis Henry 
contributed several columns of his brilliant writings each week 
to the Washington Standard, under the head of "Chronicles." 
In these contributions the most prominent men were dubbed 
titles wdiich, owing either to their fitness, or the pleasing allit- 
eration of the words, clung to their recipients, in many in- 
stances, to the day of their death. As for example: Judge 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 7> 

3IcFadden, "Obadiah, The Faithful"; Garfielde. '-^ehicins the 
Babbler"; B. F. Dennison. *" Benjamin the Stiff'": T. ^L Reed. 
"Thomas the Good"; E. P. Ferry, "Elisha the Prophet"; S. 
Coulter. "Samuel the Smiler"; C, B. Bagiey, "Clarence the 
Amorous"; Rev. John R. Thompson. "John the Joeky"; Mar- 
shal Blinn. "Marshal the Headstrong." 

When Mr. Crawford was still serving his apprenticeship 
of printer on the- Washington Standard, the proprietor. ]\Ir. 
John ^Miller ]\Iurphy. was a candidate for the office of Terri- 
torial Auditor. Mr. ]Miller was opposed by the Hon. Jos. Kunn 
of Port To^^Tisend, The latter man being a member of the 
Legislature of 1873. there was occasion to put his name in type 
many times in each issue of the Standard during the time 
the Legislature was in session. Murphy, holding his grudge 
against his opponent, told young Crawford never to allow 
Kuhn's name to appear in the paper correctly spelled. The 
ingenuity with which the printer carried out the commands 
of his superior are worthy of preservation: "Cun," "Coon." 
"Cune," "Kun," "Kune," "Koon," "Kunne." "Keun." 
"Khunne." and "Keunn" were among the variations Crav*'- 
ford managed to ring on the name "Kuhn." 

While working on the daily Echo in OhTnpia I had as an 
apprentice an Indian boy named Peter C. Stanup, son of Jonas 
Stanup sub-chief of the Puyallnp Indians. 

Unusually bright and well educated, young Stanup had 
been converted to the Christian faith and had studied theol^>g^ 
find preached to the Indians for six or seven years. After 
graduating from the newspaper business Stanup studied law 
and became verj' able in that profession. About this time the 
Government gi'anted the Puyallup Indians their land in several- 
ty and Peter's holdings were estimated to be worth from 
$50,000 to $60,000. 

Peter, while working for the development of the reserva- 
tion, against the wishes of the more ignorant Indians of his 
tribe, was thrown off a foot log into the Puyallup river and 
drowned. 

During the time the late lamented John H. McGraw was 
a candidate on the Republican ticket for Governor of the State 
he Avas bitterly opposed by the Taeoma papers and it looked 
as if he would not be able to carry a single precinct in Pierce 



80 



THURSTON COUNTY 



County. In talking over the matter, he asked me if I thought 
there was any chance for him to carry even one precinct in that 
County. I told McGraw and Mr. L. S. Hunt that if we could 
enlist Stauup's services we might carry the reservation precinct. 

Stanup was sent for but when he arrived he told us that 
a strong feeling had been worked up against McGraw in all of 
Pierce County owing to a plank in the Republican platform 
favoring construction of the Lake Washington canal. How- 
ever, if I was willing to give the Indians a feast the night be- 
fore election and a talk after the feast and have U. S. officer?; 
at the polling booths so that the boys would not be interfered 
Avith by thugs from the town we might carry the precinct for 
McGraw. We promised Stanup all this and fulfilled our 
promises. When the votes were counted after the election 
Peter wired, "We carried the precinct for McGraw by a major- 
ity of one." 

Peter was invited to Seattle and was an honored guest at 
Mr. Hunt's office while the State returns were being received. 
These returns showed McGraw had won by a handsome majority 
all over the State. 




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PIONEER REMINISCENCES 81 



D. C BEATTY 



David Crane Beatty and his wife, Mary Thompson Beatty, 
have made Olympia their home for almost 65 years. Some- 
times venturing their fortunes in other places, sometimes farm- 
ing in the County near, once leaving Washington entirely, but 
always coming back to the scene of their youthful prime and 
vigor, and now as the shadows gather and the sun of their lives 
sinks low in the West, their only hope or thought is to take 
their final rest near the place that has spelled home to this- 
devoted couple for well over the half century mark. 

Mr. Beatty first saw the light of day in Champaign County, 
Ohio, the year of his birth being 1828. When nine years of 
age his parent's took their eleven children and went to Illinois, 
where they settled for a good many years. Here the young 
David grew to manhood and learned the trade of cabinet 
making. 'He was of rather delicate health, however, and 
realized that a complete change of climate was advisable, so 
decided to take the famous advise and "Go West." The start 
was made from New York on December 16, 1852. 

The young man took passage on the old steamer Brother 
Jonathan to Panama. One of the excitments of the trip was 
the almost daily occurrence of fire on the boat. Only the 
oldest and most unseaworthy of w^ater craft was then used to 
bring those foolhardy enough to seek what was considered 
an imaginary fortune in the almost unknown West. 

From San Francisco Mr. Beatty came on to Portland, 
Oregon, his steamer this time being the Fremont, well re- 
membered by pioneer emigrants. Portland was then a village, 
in the woods on the Willamette River, of probably two business 
blocks and a few scattered houses. The Winter months were 
spent there, but when Spring came and tales began to reach 
the Oregon town of opportunities for business openings in the 
Sound country, which was just beginning to attract the 
emigrants' attention, Beatty, whose health was still poor, de- 



82 THURSTON COUNTY 

cided to join a party of young men and take the venture. 

Sixteen stalwart young men were in the party with which 
the 3^oung man cast his fortune. All that Mr. Beatty can 
remember the names of at this late day are Tom Prather, four 
Hays brothers and Edmund Carr. 

The trip was made up the Cowlitz River in Indian canoes 
to the lower landing. Here the boys took the Indian trail up 
the river through brush so dense that many times the only 
possible way to get along was b.y crawling on their knees. 
When Jackson's place was reached the men were served a 
breakfast that, even after the lapse of these many years, re- 
mains fresh in ]\Ir. Beatty 's memory. 

About noon the party came out on Scatter Creek. They 
were almost famished by this time, and were delighted to find 
a shack standing there in the wilderness. The owner was not 
around, but the door was unlocked, so they went in and 
searched for something to satisfy their hunger. Edmund Carr 
was the first to reach the rude cupboard and opened the 
door. Mother Hubbard's cupboard must have been a clos3 
connection to this one, for the only eatable the himgry young 
men could find was one cold potato on a tin plate. As this 
potato was only about the size of a walnut Carr appropriated 
it for himself. There was nothing else in all the cabin to 
eat, so the men had to push on to the next stopping place. 
Carr then called his friend Beatty aside and, dividing the 
diminutive potato exactly in half, gave one portion to him, 
eating the other himself. This was among the many acts of 
generosity and brotherly love that were related to the com- 
piler of these reminiscences that made the work one of the 
most delightful and inspiring experiences of her life. 

As evening approached, the party of adventurers reached 
Bush's, where a good supper was served them and permission 
given the boys to roll up in their blankets on the floor of the 
shack, which permission was gladly accepted. In the morning 
the march was completed by the arrival at Tumwater. There 
was only the stringers of a bridge then across the Des Chutes 
River at this place, the crossing having been made heretofore 
by Indian canoes. Horses and cattle were generally taken to 
Tenalquot Prairie, where there was a safe ford. This bridge, 
under construction, was being built by Ira Ward, the pioneer 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 83 

luillman of Puget Sound. The young men, single file, walked 
the square timbers across the river, so reaching Tumwater. 
3Ir. Beatty's eyes grew dim as he mused. "I can see them 
yet, sixteen as fine young men as were ever to be seen, filing 
across that river which flowed swiftly beneath the single stick 
of timber. Of that goodly party only Tom Prather and myself 
are left. All the rest are long since gone." The experience of 
crossing the river was a new one to the prairie raised lad. 

From Tumwater the trail to Olympia was taken and this 
place reached about noon. The very afternoon the boys reached 
here news was brought to the settlement that Washington had, 
by Act of Congress, been set aside from Oregon. Everyone 
was glad and believed that a great era of prosperity was about 
to set in for the new territory. 

''When I reached Olympia there were no buildings south 
of Fourth Street, everywhere else stood the tall timber coming 
right down to the beach, the only exception being Isaac 
Wood's residence, a shack constructed of clapboards down on 
the beach at where the end of Fifth Street now is. Mrs. Simp- 
son Moses and Mrs. George Barnes are the names of the only 
white women I can remember, although there were two others 
when we got here. 

"Edmund S.ylvester and his brother had a Hall for 
Travelers, as they called their place, on the corner where 
the Old New England hotel now stands. Their 'Hall' was 
of split and hewn lumber, lined with cloth, and while very 
comfortable for those days hardly came up to its pretentious 
name. 

"My first job was taken to split rails for j\Ir. Ruddle, out 
on Chambers Prairie. My friend Carr went with me and we 
found we had to first cut down the cedar trees, saw them into 
lengths, and then split the logs into rails. Well, I was not 
strong yet and too much of a tenderfoot to last long at this 
kind of work, so when noon came we quit and came back to 
Olympia. 

"Our next venture was to go to Alki Point, as it is now 
known, but which was then held as a townsite by Charles 
Terry and called New York. W. W. Miller was at that time 
internal revenue officer for the government and offered Carr 
and myself passage to New York for rowing the boat to that 



84 THURSTON COUNTY 

place. I was fresh from the prairie country, the water wa.s 
new to me and I had never rowed a boat in my life, but we 
accepted the offer and made out tolerably well. 

"When we reached New York we found that Charlie 
Terry, of the firm of Lowe & Terry, loggers, was an old friend 
of my family, having come from the same place in Illinois. 
There were only three or four cabins there, but Terry had 
great faith in the prospect of a great city growing up there 
some day, so had platted the town site and laid off city lots. 

"I was given work driving an ox team — familiar work it 
was, too — on Bainbridge Island. Carr was set to felling trees. 
At this time our only food for over six weeks was salmon and 
potatoes, but I never thrived better, and gained a pound a day. 
till I was quite a comfortable weight and my bad health 
greatly improved. For this six weeks we were out of flour 
and it was not till the next sailing vessel came into port 
that we were enabled to have a variation from our diet of 
salmon and potatoes. 

"When Lowe sold out I returned to Olympia with him, 
and about the first thing I did upon my return was to build 
a little house for John Swan, on the corner where the Knox 
hotel now stands. Upon completion of this building I rented 
it of Swan, procured a foot lathe, cut alder trees from the 
swamp and began making furniture. In the early days car- 
penters or cabinet makers were of necessity mechanics in the 
true meaning of the word — not wood butchers. Though the 
trade was not governed by unions, the very condition compelled 
a man to be proficient. It was not possible then to go to the 
mill and get his doors and windows, his matched lumber and 
shingles or mouldings — all these were the work of the car- 
penter, whose kit of tools must include moulding planes and 
ether accessories now made unnecessary by modern improve- 
ments. 

"Later I bought the corner where for so many years John 
Miller Murphy has had his printing office, and which I sold 
to him in after years. Here I built for myself a shop, and 
continued making furniture. I was getting a fine start, and 
all my prospects were of the brightest when the Indian war 
broke out. This put a stop to business of all kinds. Emigra- 
tion slacked, and the country was set back ten years. Closing 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 85 

my shop I enlisted with the first volunteer company organized 
to fight the Indians. 

"Well, my experiences during this war would fill a small 
volume by theinselves. Many exciting and dangerous times 
were before me then. I was among the soldiers engaged in 
the Indian fight in the Puyallup Valley. Once I was with a 
party of volunteers who rescued an English family of settlers 
from massacre in this valley. Their house was surrounded, 
and although the inmates had made a gallant defense, the 
Indians were just breaking down the door when our men 
came galloping up, scattering the enemy and saving the lives 
of the white people. 

"After the White River battle and the subsequent sub- 
duing of the Indians on this side of the mountains, our com- 
pany w^as ordered East of the mountains, where the Indians 
of the Cayuse, Walla Walla and Umatilla tribes were on the 
warpath. We crossed the mountains through the Natchez 
Pass, which was wild and rough, and proved a trying ex- 
perience. 

"Our camp was made for several weeks on Mill Creek, 
near Walla Walla, at the place where the Whitman massacre 
occurred. We had to wait here till our government supplies 
arrived from Portland. 

"Here occurred an incident the reasons of which kepi 
my comrades guessing for the remainder of the campaign. 
Among the supplies sent the volunteers was a barrel of 
whisky. This was divided among the several companies, 
my company's share being a three gallon camp kettle full. 
The kettle, with its precious contents, was set in the com- 
manding officer's tent to wait till the boys got in from a 
scouting expedition, before dividing the whisky. As it was 
difficult to get the men together that night our captain de- 
cided that a morning drink would best be appreciated by the 
boys. Now, it was my duty to care for this captain's tent, as 
I was 2nd sergeant of our company, and was generally the 
first one up in the morning, to make the fire and bring fresh 
water for making the coffee for our mess. I grabbed this 
kettle, threw the contents on the ground and filled the utensil 
with water. Later, when the lioys were lined up with their 
tin cups in their hands and glad anticipation in their minds, 



86 THURSTON COUNTY 

the captain went into tlie tent to bring out the kettle. Where 
was it! Why, there on the fire filled with boiling' coffee. I 
was questioned and acknowledged that it was through my act 
that the whisky was scattered on the ground. How was I to 
know that the kettle held anything but dirty water! The 
captain could say but little, for he had not told me to be 
careful of the contents of the kettle, and it was ray custom 
to take that kettle every morning to the creek for fresh 
water. My comrades growled a good bit. but they never 
could tell for certain whether I really did know wdiat was in 
that kettle or not. After these years I can say that the very 
liame of whisky has always been distasteful to me. We were 
on the eve of an attack from the Indians, we supposed, and 
I was determined that there would be at least one sober com- 
pany in the engagement. The boys didn't dare to manhandle 
me, but I know they would have liked to do so, 

"Word was received that the Indian tribes were collect- 
ing in the Grande Rounde Valley to gather camas for the 
Winter, and we were sent in to rout them. We were 100 
fighting men with a guard of 75 men with the pack animals. 
It was night when Ave reached the upper end of the valley 
and w^e went into camp there. Very foolishly we built camp 
fires, so letting the Indians know where we were. We expected 
to find the Indians at the lower passage on the Grande Rounde 
River, and in the morning formed in line and started for 
there. Before the passage was reached there came riding out 
of the willow trees that fringed the river banks an Indian 
brave in war paint. In his hand was a long pole on which 
was a white man's scalp. Riding wildly around in front of 
the volunteers, but always out of rifle range, the Indian gave 
his war whoop and waved the ghastly trophy as a tantalizing 
menace before our boys. jMy comrade all through the war 
was G, C. Blankenship, and a finer man I never met. This 
sight was too much for his temper, so he dashed up to our 
commanding officer and plead: 'Col, let me get that fellow!' 
'Go then,' said the colonel, 'Get him if you can while he is in 
the open, but do not follow him into the brush,' Blankenship 
rode out after the Indian, but when the rascal saw he was 
pursued he took refuge in the bushes aiid the man had to 
return to his company. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 87 

"Dust arising from the plain near the upper crossing of 
the Grande Kounde was seen, and Col. Shaw called a halt 
and said: 'Boys, there is where we want to charge, for there 
is where the Indian train, with their supplies, are trying t ) get 
out of the N^alley.' We dashed up and Col. Shaw dismounted 
?ind went into the bushes where he could see up and down 
+he river. A man named Buchanan, and myself, also dis- 
mounted and went up to the river, leading our horses. I saw 
blood on Buchanan's horse's flank and said, 'We'd better 
get back a little. Buck,' which we did. When Col. Shaw 
ioined us, one of the boys said, 'What's that on your coat 
r-ollar. Colonel!' He looked, and there was a bullet hole clear 
through the cloth and another one through the skirt of his 
r-oat. The Indians were poor shooters and couldn't hit any- 
thing a few yards away. 

"We crossed the river and the Indians fired on us as we 
Avere fording, but no one was killed, although we got three 
or four of their men. As expected, we found the pack train 
with the women and papooses. The ponies were loaded with 
camas and the next day we had a burning and destroyed at 
least 200 bushels of roots. 

"This was the Indians' last struggle against the whites. 
By destroying their winter's sux)plies they were rendered help- 
less. They couldn't tight on empty stomachs and so we con- 
Vjuered them. 

"That the Indian war was hastened and fostered by the 
Tludson Bay people there is little doubt. At that time Eng- 
land claimed all this country from the Canadian possessions to 
the Columbia river, and the ever increasing number of Ameri- 
cans coming to settle the Northwest threatened to put under 
the plow land that the Hudson Bay sheep men were accustomed 
to look upon as their legitimate pasturage, so they aided the 
Indians with arms and supplies in a struggle to maintain con- 
trol of the country. 

"Governor Stevens sent his clerk out once to visit the In- 
dian camps to see if he could find evidence of aid to the Indians 
Irom this source. I was sent along, with others, as a guard. 
AVe found empty sacks and cans with the Hudson Bay let- 
tering on them, proving conclusively where much of the sup- 
I'ort the Indians received came from. 



88 THURSTON COUNTY 

"Innist tell one other I'neiclent of the war. While we M^ere 
camped on Tenalqnot prairie, at the fort there, and the volun- 
teer troops were assembling^, myself and seven other men were 
sent to Olympia for supplies. We were on horseback and had 
just come out on Long prairie when we spied a party of 75 
Indians coming towards us. That they were armed, we could 
see, for the sun glittered on their guns. We held a hurried 
consultation and decided that as we were mounted and the 
Indians were on foot we would go a bit closer to see what was 
doing, although we intended keeping well out of rifle shot- 
It proved to be the Squaxon Indian tribe, under leadership 
of Indian Agent Gosnald, coming to join forces with the 
volunteers to fight the hostiles. When they saw us eight 
men ride up single file to meet their anny of 75, they broke 
into a perfect bedlam, they were so excited. 'What's the use. 
Indian tight white man,' their chief said, 'one white man not 
afraid ten Indians.' And that was always the way it was. 
We never thought it was possible that the Indians could lick 
ns. When we went down into the Grande Rounde after them, 
we were only 100 fighting men, not counting the 75 men in 
charge of the pack train, and there were 1,000 Iinlian w^arriors 
against us. But we were never afraid, and so won the struggle, 

"When we were on the campaign one of the pleasant recol- 
lections of this grim time was the cooking my comrade, 
G. C. Blankenship, did for the mess. The men were supposed 
to take turns in this task but after they had all been tried 
out, Mr. Blankenship proved so superior in the culinary art 
that he M^as made chief cook for the rest of the campaign. 
He would open a sack of flour, mix up a batch of bread with 
his sour dough 'starting' and when that bread was baked in 
Ihe camp oven with plenty of bacon grease it was a delight 
to the hungry men. One day, to vary the menu our cook rolled 
some sugar in the dough, cut it into little pieces and fried 
these in bacon grease. The result was the best doughnuts man 
(>ver tasted — or so we thought at the time. When I got home 
I tried them to show my women folks how% but they didn't 
taste so good. With this bread, doughnuts and bacon, beans 
and coffee, we fared well on the trip. 

"After the war was over I was appointed Indian Agent 
under General R. H. jMilroy, and became well acquainted with 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 89 

the Indians. I could speak their language and had many 
friends among them. I have worked as cabinet maker and 
carpenter for years in Olympia, and once went to Salem, Ore- 
gon, where 1 was engaged in a sash and door factory for three 
years, bat always came back to this town." 

Here Mr. Beatty ceased his talk and asked to be excused 
while his wife proceeded with the narrative. 

"With my uncle, Rev. Geo. F. Whitworth, and my aunt, 
Eliza Whitworth, and her mother, Mrs. Sarah Thompson, my 
sister Sarah and the four young Whitworth children, I crossed 
the plains from Connelton, Indiana. Grandmother was 78 
years old, and I was a young girl of sixteen. 

"The way I happened to make this trip was, when the 
Presbyterian Board of Missionaries sent Uncle Whitworth out 
to preach the Gospel in the wilderness, he begged father- to let 
my sister Sarah and myself come along as company for Aunt 
Eliza and to help take care of our grandmother. Of course, I 
was to go back in a year or two, but it has been over sixty 
years since I made that journey and I have never been back 
yet. 

"We had no special hardships on the trip, other than 
was to be expected from camping out for so long a time and 
the fatigue of constant but slow travelling, for we had ox 
teams. There were 40 wagons in our train, and so, owing to 
our considerable numbers, we were not molested by the In- 
ulians, although once we were followed 150 miles by a band 
of warriors, who told us they intended killing every one of 
our party in revenge for the death of one of their number, 
which had occurred shortly before. An emigrant in a train 
rdiead of ours had shot and killed the Indian. The brave who 
came into our camp to tell us of their intentions amused him- 
self by marking off with stakes in the ground the length of 
the graves he informed us we would soon occupy when they 
had finished us. But thej^ never seemed to find the weak spot 
in our defense and Ad ally gave over following us. When we 
reached the Snake river we waited for other teams along the 
road to join us for further protection. Two wagons came 
along the trail with their beds completely riddled from the 
Indians' bullets. They had been attacked by a roving band, 



90 THURSTON COUNTY 

one of the children killed and an attempt made to stampede 
their stock. They were a sorry-looking outfit. 

"Uncle Whitworth would have no Sunday traveling, and 
the train was always halted on this day, and we laid by for 
rest, and generally held some kind of worship. But when we 
reached the Blue Mountains the supplies were running so low 
that the other people in the train determined to travel all 
day Sunday. We started up the Blue Mountains on this par- 
ticular Sabbath day, which was the first we had failed to 
properly observe. When we were rounding a canyon I was 
driving the oxen on one side and my sister on the other to 
keep them in the narrow road. The front yoke deliberately 
walked ofi' over the edge of the precipice. The rigging gave 
way and left a single yoke of young oxen to hold the wagon 
from slipping back down the hillside. These animals strained 
till their horns were buried in the dust of the road, and they 
were brought to their knees before the wagon could be 
stopped. That was our first Sunday trial. As evening came 
en Uncle Whitworth had to take our big wagon and strike 
out to the river, twelve miles away, leaving Aunt Eliza, one of 
the children and me to guard the other wagon. We were 
frightened, for the coyotes were howling round and it was a 
fearsome spot. William INIitchell, who was with our train, 
heard of our being left behind alone and rode back to stay 
with us till Uncle Whitworth could return. We were so glad 
to see him and appreciated his thoughtfulness. 

"When we reach Portland, X^ncle Whitworth came on up 
to Fort Steilacoom to take up his missionary labors. He found 
an Episcopal minister already stationed at the fort, and doing 
such a noble work that there seemed to be no field of labor 
there for any other minister. But in Olympia there was a 
good opening, and it seemed to him that he could do a great 
deal of good in this new place, so decided to locate here. There 
was scarcely anybody living here then, the settlement being 
mostly at Tumwater, but at what is now known as Priest's 
Point some Catholic fathers had established a mission. 

"Uncle took up a donation claim on land adjoining thi' 
mission property, built a temporary home for his family and 
began his missionary labors. He organized the First Presby- 
terian church in Olympia, also at Chehalis, and the one on 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 91 

Chambers prairie. Riding for miles to carry the gospel wher- 
ever a few were congregated, sometimes being obliged to teach 
school to support his family, so meager was the pittance al- 
lowed him by the Presbytery, and so poor were his congrega- 
tions. He was a good man and has gone to a well earned 
reward. 

"Aunt Eliza, with the rest of the family, had stayed in 
Portland the first winter in the West, while Uncle Whitworth 
was locating on the Sound. Aunt and my sister, Sarah, taught 
school that winter to pay our expenses. 

"In May of the following summer Uncle came to bring us 
to our new home. The trip in the Indian canoes up the Cow- 
litz river was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. 
J was totally unused to water, and although the canoes were 
large, they looked dangerous to me. Indeed, one of the canoes 
was upset and we lost all our bread and dishes, although the 
latter were recovered after several weeks and sent on to us. 
We found refuge the night we reached the landing in the 
home of Mr. Lemon, whose son is now Millard Lemon, the 
Olympia capitalist. 

"We were met at the landing by Judge B. F. Yantis with 
an ox team to bring us to our new home. As we had to camp 
out along the way from the Cowlitz to Olympia, the loss of 
our dishes was very inconvenient. Judge Yantis searched 
among the ranch houses to find cups for us to drink out of, 
but all the dishes he could procure were three small sugar 
bowls of thick earthenware. These the elders used for drink- 
ing cups, but we younger ones had to use egg shells from 
which to drink our coffee. But we enjoyed the experience and 
thought coffee never tasted so good. 

"We had one scare as a welcome to the new country. At 
the Cowlitz landing were a number of Indian tents and in them 
were some very sick squaws and pappooses. Harry Whit- 
worth, then about nine years old, went in among them, carry- 
ing them water and tending them until way in the night. Later 
it developed that the disease with which the Indians were ill 
was smallpox, and that in the most virulent form. So severe 
did the disease rage that that particular band of Indians was 
almost lost. We watched Harry with great uneasiness till the 



92 THURSTON COUNTY 

danger period was safely over. I suppose the fresh air and 
our perfect health prevented our taking the disease. 

"When we reached Tumwater Judge Yantis, who was al- 
ways full of his fun and jokes, took Sarah and me to visit an 
Indian camp, to see what he told us would be our eatables 
from now on. They had just finished drying and hanging up 
a string of geoducks. The long necks and scaly looking bodies 
of this, to us, new species of salt water products, did not look 
very inviting. 

"From Tumwater we took canoes for Priests Point, where 
Uncle's claim was. If I was frightened before, imagine my 
sensations when I was placed in a tiny craft that, when I 
was in with my Indian paddler, was only about one inch 
above the water of Puget Sound. When we reached the point 
below the mission all our household goods we had with us 
had to be carried by hand up the hill to our home. Grand- 
mother, who had shared in all our adventures, could not climb 
up there, however, so sister Sarah and myself put her in the 
little old rocking chair we had brought clear from our old 
home in Indiana for her to sit in and carried her up the hill 
and the quarter of a mile to where our house stood. This 
bouse was but a shack ]6xl6 built of poles and covered, sides 
and all. with cedar bark. There was a fireplace in one end 
three or four feet across and one of the most joyous objects 
we had beheld for a long time. 

"The good fathers at the mission were our only neigh- 
bors, and the woods came close to our shack. In our imme- 
diate neighborhood was an Indian burial place, the bodies 
hanging in the branches of the tall trees, laid in canoes. It 
was to us a fearsome sight, but we became accustomed to it. 
and did not mind it after a while. Indeed, we much preferred 
these dead Indians to some of those still alive, for it was 
at this time that the Indian trouble was on. 

"That summer Uncle raised quite an amount of potatoes 
and, as we had no cellar, was at loss where to store them, until 
someone pointed out that in the field where he was clearing 
there were a number of big trees, the roots of which had been 
burned into, leaving hollows and thus forming excellent places 
for storing the potatoes. 

"As a variation of our diet we used to put up the wild 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 93 

berries we found growing here in profusion. As sugar was 
scarce and very expensive we used wild honey as the preserva- 
tive. Honey bee trees were frequently located, and it was 
one of the sports of the time to cut one down and secure the 
sweets stored in the hollow trunk. We had rough and tumble 
times, but good times withal. Life was full of snap and en- 
joyment in simple pleasures. "We had our mail aljout every 
six weeks, and for the first few years all our supplies came 
from the Sandwich Islands. It was a great day when we 
began to get things in from San Francisco; we began to feel 
quite civilized. I remember the first apples ever grown in 
Thurston County. They were grown on a tree planted by Mr. 
Axtel, on Grand Mound prairie. Mrs. Axtel told the boys 
that if they did not touch the fruit when it was ripe she would 
make them a pie. They obeyed and when that pie was made, 
so precious were the apples they went in, peel and all. 
No M^asting good fruit by taking off even the thinnest peeling. 

"We lived in the shack Uncle Whitworth had provided 
for us for quite a while, but finally we were ready for a new 
house, so comes from Olympia David Beatty and A. J. Lin- 
ville, carpenters, to build our new house. And that is the 
time and the place I met Mr. Beatty. These men cut down 
trees from the land around the site of the new house, split 
them into boards and planed out the weather boarding, all 
by hand. They made a ver.y creditable and comfortable resi- 
dence, which we appreciated after our crowded quarters. We 
sent for our household furnishings, books, etc., which came 
around the Horn, and from San Francisco were sent on by 
sailing vessels to this port. 

"As the Indians Avere getting troublesome Uncle Whit- 
worth asked the mission fathers if they considered our situa- 
tion dangerous. They replied, 'Not yet, we will give you 
warning, if it becomes so, in time for you to go to the stock- 
ade in Olympia.' In about tw^o weeks this warning was given 
and we fled to town. Again we carried grandmother in her 
little chair to the water and set her into a canoe. We found 
refuge in two rooms over Mr. Beatty 's shop. These rooms 
had been fitted up as a photograph gallery by Samuel Holmes 
father of Fred Holmes and Mrs. Robert Frost, and was the 



94 



THURSTON COUNTY 



first art galleiy in the Northwest. I slept right under the 
big skylight in the roof, 

"Mr. Beatty and I were married in 1856 after the Indian 
war was over. We at one time took np a homestead of 160 
acres on Ayers' Hill, joining Swan's donation claim. Mr. 
Beatty built a cabin on one side of a stream that flowed there 
then, and his partner, Mr. Linville, lived on the other side of 
the stream, but it was so lonesome and the trees were so for- 
midable that the places were abandoned. The timber alone, 
in after years on those claims, would have been worth a 
fortune. 

"Uncle Whitworth, Aunt Eliza, the grandmother, Sister 
Sarah, all are gone. I can think of no one of my associates of 
those early days who is still living. Our daughter Adelaide, 
i.« the only child we have ever had." 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 95 



MRS. JOHN G. PARKER 



Have you ever opened a long-forgotten desk and taken out 
a packet of letters tied with faded blue ribbon, and caught 
the sweet, evanescent perfume of rose leaves and violets which 
have been put away by hands which have long since finished 
their earthly tasks? Such were the sensations of the compiler 
of these reminiscences when journeying back to the days of long 
£go with Mrs. John G. Parker. Sweet and full of girlish ro- 
mance were the memories evoked of conquests, triumphs and 
innocent coquetry of this belle of Olympia of the early '50 's, 
although the dear old lady could also tell of hardships and 
privations that would undoubtedly crush a girl of modern 
days. 

In Mrs. Parker's words will her story be told, for they 
were more eloquent and expressive than any at my command, 
but the reader will miss the inspiration of watching the deli- 
cate color come and go in the faded but still lovely face, of 
listening to the gentle voice thrill and tremble over the ex- 
citing or sorrowful portions of the narrative, of being taken 
back to the actual scenes and experiences of those days that 
are no more. 

"When I was a young girl of a little less than sixteen 
years of age, living in Saline County, Missouri, my father, 
Gilmore Hays, decided to leave the old homestead and take 
his family out to Oregon, as all this section of the country 
was then called. Father had been out West before and knew 
that the land was full ol richness and opportunities for amass- 
ing wealth such as would never be found in the more settled 
country. There were six boys in our family and father 
thought they would stand a better chance to get on in the 
world when the time came for them to branch out for them- 
selves in the new country. Father's enthusiasm spread to a 
lot of our kinsfolks and they decided to join our train and 
cross the plains with us. 



y6> • THURSTON' COUNTY 

"'I can't tell now just Iiow many wagons, there were in 
line when we pulled out for our start for the long journey 
over the Oregon Trail. But the ones whom I am able to re- 
tail were the family of Dr. N. Ostrander, Uncle Frank Yantis 
with his family, George Scott and wife, ]\Ir. and Mrs. Hillory 
Butler, my father's brother Isaac Hays, Rev. Lapsley Yantis 
and many others, 

"The firet stages of the trip were full of pleasure and de- 
light, especially to us younger members of the train. Although 
the greater part of the wag'ons were drawn bj' yokes of oxen 
and perforce the travel w^as slow, we younger ones had each 
<,ur own pony and would ride far in advance of the train, pick 
cut a good camping place w^here there was wood, water and 
grass for the animals. Here we would dismount and the young 
men proceed to collect piles of wood for the camp fires in the 
evening while we girls would skylark around, pick flovv^ers: 
and rest beneath the trees by the side of the beautiful streams: 
M'^hich we frequently were fortunate enough to find for our 
camping- place. When the wagons would pull in towards, 
evening it was a hurry-up to get supper, turn out the stock 
and then all hands gather around the enormous campfires; 
v,^here merry jest, songs and cheerful companionship banished 
every thought of homesickness or foreboding. We had several 
violins, a banjo and many fine voices in the party, so music? 
was enjoyed almost every evening. 

"I must tell you about my pony. She was the fastest ani- 
mal in the train, a perfect beauty and a great pet, and an 
animal of more than ordinary intelligence. So speedy was: 
she that the hunters always borrowed her when they wanted 
to run down a buffalo to replenish our supply of fresh meat- 
One day I was in a pet towards the other girls in the train, 
Sarah Yantis and her sister, Mrs. PuIIen, (these girls were 
fifterwards ]\Irs. 6. C. Blankenship and Mrs. Dick Wood), 
So I told them to ride on and I would wait for the wagons, let- 
ting my pony eat by the .road side. As soon as they had dis- 
appeared along the trail I dismounted and sat down in the 
grass. That pony Avould scarcely eat a mouthful so intently 
c'id she watch, looking all around for possible danger. When 
the wagons came on np and father saw me there alone he 
!:Colded me good and hard and said the horse show^ed a good 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 97 

deal more sense than I did. But some way I was never in the 
least afraid of the Indians and thought the tales I heard of 
their cruelty and treacherj^ were mostly imaginary. I was 
to learn better a few years afterwards during the Indian war 
m Washington. 

"Well, all went merrj' as a marriage bell until we reached 
Fort Laramie. Here was the parting of the ways. Uncle 
Lapsley Yantis was a Presbyterian minister and as good a 
man as ever trod the earth, and he was strong for whatever 
he considered to be the right, and to travel on the Sabbath 
day was not right according to his views. Father was also 
a good man but he was more practical and had different ideas 
from Uncle Lapsley. He reasoned that even if the train did 
lay over and not travel on Sundays that the emigrants would 
probably not observe the day any better than those who pushed 
on toward their journey's end. The women would bake, wash, 
etc., and the young folks get into various kinds of mischief, 
but most weighty argument of all, the cattle would become 
so scattered in a whole day's and two nights' layoff that, in 
his judgment, it was better to keep going. The leaders couldn't 
agree, so the train was divided, some going on with father and 
the remainder staying with the Sabbath keepers. Was it a 
judgment from God that as soon as the decision was made 
and we began to fail in Sabbath observance dire calamity be- 
fell us? It certainly looked so. Soon after the separation we 
overtook an emigrant wagon in which was a sick boy. Mother 
offered her services to the parents of the lad and did Avhat she 
i-ould do for them in the way of nursing and simple remedies 
to relieve the lad's fever. Little did she suspect the nature 
of the disease she came in contact with. About ten 
days after encountering the sick boy she was taken down with 
a raging fever which soon developed into a severe case of black 
measles. Soon nearly all the young people of the train were 
inflicted with the dread disease. Of my six brothers one after 
another died till three graves were made along the roadside. 
But before Brother Henry died mother, too, was taken. Henry 
■seemed to be getting over the measles and we hoped for a 
time he might be spared us. One night, after convalescence 
had set in, we were sitting around the campfire, no longer glee- 
ful and singing, but oppressed w^ith our dreadful sorrow. 



98 THURSTON COUNTY 

Henry was well enough then to eat some ham which I had 
cooked for supper. After eating he complained of a terrible 
thirst and kept drinking water. Soon cramps set in and he 
was dead before morning. I thought father would go crazy 
at this terrible last blow. 

"We reached Salmon Falls in Idaho before mother died, 
and although I did not know of it till a year afterwards when 
I again met my cousin, Sarah Yantis, in Olympia, I must tell 
of her resting place. We had to roll the body in a blanket — 
there was, of course, no way to make even the rudest coffin, 
and after the mortal remains of our dear mother had been 
covered the best we could, father took off a piece of the end 
board of the wagon and wrote her name, Naomi Hayes, on it. 
Then we had to go on and leave her there. 

"Well, when Uncle Lapsley's train came along several 
days after we were on our way, they espied a newly made 
grave beside the road and on going to it read mother's name. 
Mrs. Yantis, who was very delicate and suffering from the 
hardships of the trip, had become very ill on the way. When 
she knew that her old friend was buried there she lost all 
hope, and although the train made a couple of stages further 
on their way, the poor lady w^as unable to stand the shock and 
sank to rest. Her last words w^ere 'Take me back to sleep 
beside Naomi.' Her broken hearted husband and children 
respected these last words and retracing their way to where 
mother was laid, buried her there and beneath mother's name 
wrote 'Ann Yantis.' And there they sleep side by side. Ah. 
it was a hard and bitter time. 

"After the death of my third brother father decided that 
the time had come to do something, so he had one of the lighter 
w^agons emptied of all but our actual necessities for light 
camping and hitching the freshest of the mules to the wagon, 
started my brothers, myself and some other women and children 
of the train on as fast as the animals could travel. He hoped 
we could reach The Dalles and so on to Portland before winter 
set in. 

"When we reached The Dalles we women and children 
were put on flat boats and floated down to the Cascades. Here 
we were obliged to walk across the portage to the landing 
and then take a little steamboat on down to Portland. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 99 

"At this place I was met by an uncle, Andrew Cowan, 
who took me home with him and I spent the winter very com- 
fortably with my uncle and aunt. 

"Portland was then a mere village with a two plank 
sidewalk extending along the few blocks which were built up, 
and mud, mud everywhere. It was certainly the muddiest, 
dirtiest place I had ever seen at that time. 

"When father finally reach The Dalles with the ox teams 
he bought a good many of the emigrants' cattle and turned 
them out on the ranges in the vicinity. But the hard luck 
with which he had been followed throughout the latter part of 
the journey still pursued the poor man. 

"One of the coldest winters on record for that region 
set in and the cattle were caught by the heavy snows. The 
beasts were weakened anyway with their thousands of miles 
travel and in no condition to withstand the rigors of the cli- 
mate. There was no hay or feed to be bought for any price 
so almost the entire drove perished. This almost bankrupted 
father and was a severe blow to the high hopes of wealth and 
prosperity he had entertained when he started from Missouri. 
Four of his family left back on the plains, his money spent 
for the cattle and four helpless children on his hands. For 
T was little more than a child in years and having always 
lived on a plantation with servants to do everything about 
the house and mother to depend on, you may be sure I w^as 
very incapable and inexperienced. 

"Came the Spring of 1852 and father was restless and 
wanting to go on to the promised land — Puget Sound — so 
chartering a flat boat to take us up the Cowlitz river after 
we left the steamboat at Monticello landing, we were again on 
our way. 

"The memory of that trip will be with me as long as 
memory lasts. The flat boat, loaded with our very few house- 
hold effects, was poled up the Cowlitz, but there was no room 
on the boat for us women and the children, so there was noth- 
ing to do but walk along the trail. This trail was through, 
in many places, brush so dense, that we crawled on our hands 
and knees to get along at all. In other places we were in 
mud well up to our knees. 

"In addition to this I had to carry my little brother, 



100 THURSTON COUNTY 

Eobert. The poor little fellow was only three years old and 
had never become very strong from his attack of the measles 
the summer before. I, too, was weak and sick and in my 
mind thought I was not long for this world, and I must say, 
I didn't care much, life seemed so full of trouble and hard- 
ship. When we reached the Cowlitz landing we w^ere met by 
mule teams which had been sent down from Olympia to haul 
our freight. The wagons were so filled and the roads in such 
a condition that I still had to walk across the country past 
where Chehalis now is and on to Mound prairie. My com- 
panion on this dreary jaunt was i\Irs. Hillory Butler, who with 
her husband was also coming to the Sound with us. She was 
very kind and good to the motherless girl and helped me carry 
my little brother. Turn and turn about we plodded all those 
weary miles through knee-deep mud, hot, tired and discouraged. 

"Coming out on Mound prairie we spied a cabin in a 
clearing. The eternal feminine asserted itself even under those 
distressing conditions, so before going to the house Mrs. Butler 
and myself stopped beside a stream of water flowing by and 
wading up to our knees, washed the bottoms of our skirts off 
the best we could, they being literally caked with mud. straight- 
ened our hair and then proceeded to the house where we pro- 
posed to ask shelter for the night. 

''In the door of the cabin stood the fairest sight I have 
ever seen. It was my own dear cousin and chum, Sarah Yan- 
tis. Imagine the greetings received. Although over fifty 
years have passed over my head since then and I have changed 
from a pretty, young girl to a great-grandmother, I still re- 
call the thrill of rapture with which I rushed into Sarah's 
arms and listened to her dear voice once again. AVhen the 
train was divided Uncle Frank Yantis with family had re- 
mained behind and on reaching Portland had proceeded 
straight on to this section of the country. He had taken up 
a donation claim out on the prairie and was comfortably 
settled. 

"We rested there visiting with Uncle Frank's family for 
a while and then came on to Olympia. 

"Our first place of refuge on reaching this place was with 
a bachelor who had a comfortable log cabin a couple of miles 
from Newmarket — now Tumwater. This man's name was Ben- 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 101 

jamin Gordon, or Old Ben, as he Avas commonly called, and 
he was very good to us all. Aunt and Uncle Andrew Cowan 
had come to this section of the country with us and for quite 
i\ while we all lived in Mr. Gordon's cabin — the Cowans, all 
the Hays children and father, when he Avas at home. There 
was a garden around the place and we had ail the milk and 
butter we wanted from ]\Ir. Gordon's cows. 

''I began to grow strong and well again and life opened 
up many fair promises. The young men from around the 
<30untr3'' began to find their way to the cabin and I had a 
great deal of attention and admiration. There were only four 
young ladies within a radius of many miles, Sarah Yantis, 
Charlotte and Lucy Barnes and myself. The young men used 
to come out to the cabin Sunday afternoons in considerable 
numbers- Those who had riding horses would ride and those 
who had not would walk and seem to think nothing of the 
miles traveled over the trail to spend a few hours in my com- 
pany. There was generally a generous supply of buttermilk 
on hand and the boys made the excuse that it was for this 
cooling drink they had come. They were a brave lot of lads, 
gallant and stalwart. I felt an interest and friendship for 
everyone of them. Ah, me, where are they now? All, all 
gone. 

"The young man who used to come most frequently to see 
me was young Benton IMoses, who afterwards married my dear 
friend, Sarah Yantis. One Sunday when Mr. Moses arrived on 
his usual afternoon visit he was accompanied by another young 
man whom he introduced as John Parker. I will never forget' 
the appearance of this youth that day. He had a beautiful 
riding horse, which he managed with splendid skill, but it was 
his getup which made the lasting impression on me. Mr. 
Parker had a trading store in Olympia and carried principally 
articles for barter with the Indians. From this stock he had 
selected a pair of riding leggings which came to the knees, 
on his feet were beaded moccasins and on his head was a 
queer looking Scotch cap. He made a great impression on 
my young fancy even at this first visit. Afterwards, when 
he became a regular visitant at father's house, Mr. Moses 
used to tell with much glee how he inveigled Parker to th-^ 
cabin with tales of the nice fresh buttermilk to be had, but 



102 THURSTON COUNTY 

said never a word about the young lady who wouhl pour the 
buttermilk for him. Mr. Parker at that time was extremely 
bashful and had never called on a young lady before. 

"By this time father had taken up his donation claim, 
which is, as near as I can tell now, was situated where the 
road makes its first turn in going towards the Hays school 
house after passing the Masonic cemetery. I kept house for 
him and the children the best I could. Tom Prather, who 
was a distant relative, lived with us part of the time, and it 
was he who taught me about all I knew about cooking and 
general housework. He was always good and kind to all of 
us and his unfailing friendship has been one of the brightest 
remembrances of my life. 

"Olympia then was merely a e;illection of shacks, with 
only two or three places of business of any kind. Mr. and. 
Mrs. George Barnes were about the only married couple here 
when I first arrived, although others soon came. Mr. Parker's 
store was opposite the Pacific House, which place w^as after- 
Avards kept by Col. Cock, whose young wife became one of 
the warmest of friends to both myself and Sarah Yantis. We 
girls used to go in to stay all night at their hotel and Mrs. 
Cock was so good to us, throwing many a pleasant time our 
way. 

"About the only anuisement we young folks had in those 
days was horseback riding. There were no roads and, of 
course, no buggies or other means of conveyance. The young 
men used to come out to our house riding one horse and lead- 
ing another for me. Later I learaed that they generally bor- 
rowed Mr. Parker's horse for me to ride on. But that was 
before we had met, after that event it was always John who 
would come. He had sent to San Francisco for a side saddle 
for me, probably the first article of that description in the 
Northwest. One of those three-horned affaire such as girls 
used to ride. Sarah could ride a man's saddle with perfect 
ease, sitting straight as an arrow and graceful as a reed, but 
I wanted a side saddle. I never saw a woman ride astride in 
those days and we would have thought it a very immodest 
thing to do. Times have changed in many ways since I was 
a girl. 

"But I must tell about my wedding. I had lived on the 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 103 

homestead about two years, keeping house for father and do- 
ing the best I could with Avhat I had to do with. I\Ir. Parker 
had kept coming to see me. and although we were not really 
engaged, I thought we would be married some time. But 
there Avas nothing definite. Father began to grow restless 
ggain and wanted to go liack east once more. But w^hat to 
do with me and the boys? He talked of it for several weeks, 
and I could see he was moody and uneasy. My cousin, Sarah, 
had come from her father's home, still on ]\round Prairie, to 
^pend a few days with me and we were planning to take a 
horseback ride one day in company with ]Mr. Parker and Mr. 
Moses, who were coming out from town a little later. Father 
had gone on out to do some burning on the land he was clear- 
ing up in the far lot, so I was surprised when he came back 
to the house and said 'Rushe, get me some hot water for shav- 
ing and put me out a clean shirt.' 'Why, father,' I said, 'are 
you going to town?' 'No,' he replied, 'I am going to attend 
your wedding.' 'My wedding?' I gasped. 'Yes, your wed- 
ding. You might as well be married one time as another, 
Parker wants you and I want to go east.' I was almost dumb 
with astonishment and chagrin. I asked Sarah what I had 
better do and she very strongly counseled me not to listen to 
such a proposition. I was almost distracted. I didn't know 
what to do. I knew I loved John and knew that he loved 
me, but I had no wardrobe and was not ready to be married. 
I sat down by the fireplace brooding and thinking, when ]\Ir. 
Parker arrived. He saw at once something was the matter 
and asked me if I was sick. I told him I was not and he 
would have to ask father about what was the trouble. He went 
out in the yard and had a long talk with father and then 
came in and asked me to sit on the steps of the doorway Avith 
him to talk matters over. He said he wanted to marry me 
more than he ever had wanted anything on earth, but he had 
hoped to get in a little better financial shape before asking me 
to cast my lot with his. He told me he was a poor man and 
in debt — a former partner in an express venture had ab- 
sconded with $5,000, for which loss Mr. Parker became per- 
sonally responsible. 'But, Rushe,' he said, 'if yon are will- 
ing to undertake the life I can offer you now I will love and 



104 THURSTON COQNTY 

cherish you forever/ And no I agreetl. ]\Ir. Parker then rode 
back to town and returned with Judge Landers. 

"I got readj^ the best I could and Sarah helped me. j\Iy 
best dress was a black silk which I had made with a low cut 
neck and short sleeves. I thought I looked quite nice in that 
dress and .so did John. Tom Prather cooked our wedding 
dinner and, besides Sarah as attendant at the wedding, was 
Uncle Frank Yantis. We stayed at father's house the first 
night and the next day took our deferred horseback ride to 
Mound Prairie and that was our wedding trip. 

"Afterwards we went to housekeeping in a little cottage 
snd there in the course of time our first child was bom, our 
daughter Helen, now Mrs. Herbert MclMicken. 

"Father then went back east, but returned by the time 
of the Indian war in 1855. He organized the first volunteer 
troops in the Northwest for the defense of the settlers, and 
was honored by being made commander of the united volun- 
teer troops before the war was over. 

"IMy cousin Sarah by this time was married to young A, 
Benton Moses and was living in Olympia also. When the In- 
dian war broke out Mr. Moses was one of the first white men 
to lose his life by the Indians. He was killed out on Connell 
Prairie while in company with a small body of men who were 
going to join the volunteers. The others were obliged to flee 
for their own lives and leave the poor lad there on the prairie. 
He was wounded but not killed outright. When he fell from- 
his horse he begged his companions to save themselves and 
sent a loving messag'e to his young girl bride. A few days; 
later Tom Prather and a small company of men went out 
and brought the body back to Olympia. 

"Never will I forget the tragedy of that funeral. Besides 
Mr. Moses there were the bodies of Lieutenant McAllister and 
Col. Miles, who were also killed at the same time. These 
bodies, placed in rude coffins, were placed in one of the two> 
wagons in the settlement. In the other wagon rode Sarah, 
^Irs. Cock and myself, the men Avalking in a procession be- 
hind the wagons. Our wagon was without springs of any 
kind and such as are used to haul dirt in. There were no 
seats and only some boards laid across the bed. Several times 
these boards slipped off and let the mourners down in thc^ 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 105 

bottom of the wagon bed The day was dark and dreary and 
the road but little more than a rough trail. It was a terrible 
experience. To do honor to the brave boys who had lost their 
lives in the attempt to protect others, the citizens decided that 
a military funeral was proper, so music must be included. 
This consisted of a drum and fife. As we wended our way 
out to the graveyard over and over again did this drum and 
fife sound out the strains of 'The Girl I Left Behind Me.* 
That was the only tune they could play -and they did the 
best they could, but I thought Sarah's heart would surely 
break. The graveyard was the one out on the road leading 
to what is now Little Rock, near Belmore. Here the three 
graves were made close to the road, side by side. And here 
soon after was laid the remains of Chas. H. Mason, the first 
Secretary of the Territory, a gallant young man of gooCi 
family, who died of fever when only 29 years of age. I think the 
Thurston County Historical Society could do no better work 
than mark the last resting place of these heroes of the Indian 
war. 

"But enough of these sad reminiscences. I will now tell 
about when the first State ball was held in Washington. It 
was in the nature of a housewarming, when Governor and Mrs. 
Stevens moved into the Governor's mansion, which the Ex- 
ecutive officer had built soon after the arrival of his family 
from the East. This very same house is still standing on the 
block now owned by Mr. Hazard Stevens, on Eleventh street, 
between Main and Columbia. It was considered quite a pala- 
tial residence when it was completed, and the invitations 
to attend the housewarming were eagerly accepted by Olympia 
society. Almost every one was present. Sarah and I with 
our beaux attended. The night was dark and the trail rough, 
so lanterns were hung every few feet in the branches of 
the trees to guide ns to the mansion. There was a dance fol- 
lowing the reception and then a big supper. The dance was 
held in the parlor of the house and if room was scarce the 
jollity and good fellowship made up for all shortcomings. I 
think I can say that in the long and brilliant line of legisla- 
tive balls and receptions that has followed this iniiial one, 
there has never been more genuine happiness and enjoyment 



106 



THURSTON COUNTY 



than was the share of Governor and ]\Irs. Stevens' guests that 
night. 

"My husband at that time kept the Gold Bar store and 
when the question of finding some place where the first meet- 
ing of the Territorial Legislature could be held, my father 
suggested using the room above his store. This suggestion was 
adopted and the place made in readiness for that historical 
event. 

After a few years Mr. Parker went to steamboating. 
building and operating, I think, the first steamboat on Puget 
Sound, The Traveller, on the run between Olympia and Vic- 
toria. Later he was owner and captain of the Messenger, go- 
ing to Seattle from this place. It took two whole days to 
make the trip down to Seattle and return, providing the tides 
were right and they had no breakdowns. Then for several 
years he was on the Alida. between the same ports. We went 
to San Francisco and staid there for ten years, but finally re- 
turned to the Sound. 

"My dear husband died in Olympia on October 2, 190S. 
and is buried out in the Masonic cemetery. 

"Besides Mrs. McMicken our children are: Gilmore 
Hays, Maude, now^ Mrs. Anderson of Tacoma, Herbert and 
John G.. Jr., both of Seattle. Gilmore Hays died quite 
recentlv. ' ' 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 107 



JOHN MILLER MURPHY 



]\Ir. John IMiller Mnrpliy has been more prominently 
identified with the growth and development of Olympia and 
Thurston County, and for a longer continuous time, than any 
of the men who braved the hardships and dangers of the 
wilderness. For fifty years Mr. Murphy, through the columns 
of the Washington Standard, worked for the advancement and 
prosperity of the community. For over two thousand six 
hundred weeks the Standard was a welcome visitor in the 
majority of the homes of Olympia and Thurston County. The 
editorials in these many issues Mr. Murphy penned with his 
own hand. 

Mr. Murphy has recorded the appointments, through the 
columns of the Standard, of eleven Territorial Governors, com- 
mencing with Governor Wm. H. Wallace, and including Gov- 
ernors Pickering, Cole, Moore, Flanders, Salomon, Newell, 
Squire, Ferry, Miles C. IMoore, and the elections of Washing- 
ton State Governors Ferry, McGraw, Rogers, McBride, ]\Iead, 
Cosgrove and Hay. When the Standard was born James Bu- 
chanan was President of the United States. A search through 
the back files of this paper show the announcements of the 
inaugurations of Presidents Lincoln, Johnson, Grant. Hayes, 
Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland (twice), Harrison, McKinley, 
Roosevelt and Taft. Among the most interesting of ]Mr. 
Murphy's reminiscences, as recorded in The Standard, tells 
about the young editor being in Portland, Oregon, for the 
purpose of attending his own wedding. Just as the young 
couple were about to take the stage for their home on Puget 
Sound, a San Francisco steamer arrived in port with the late 
newspapers on board, bearing black letter headlines, "Fort 
Sumpter Fired On." 

Mr. ]\Iurphy called the boy selling the papers and bought 
the entire supply, saying nothing of the great news to the rest 
(f the passengers until reaching Olympia. 



108 THURSTON COUNTY 

Arriving here he hurriedly turned his bride over to the 
care of the hotel people and rushed for the Standard office. 
All the printers in town were set to work at the cases and 
within a few hours an extra was cried upon the streets of 
Olympia with huge headlines announcing the beginning of the 
war. "And," added Mr. Murphy, "as I told the story of the 
firing on Fort Sumpter all in the headlines, the people saw at 
a glance the reason for the extra's appearance and not one 
cent did I realized from the issue. Besides, I paid the boys 
$1 for selling the papers on the streets. Since that time I have 
kept part of my story for the columns of the paper instead of 
spreading it all out in the headlines." 

The description of the way the news of Lee's surrender 
was received in the Capital City was very amusing. There 
was no better way to celebrate important events in those days 
than in patronizing the saloons, and as the news spread along 
the streets a rush was made, first for the Standard office, then, 
all together, to where the men could properly air their en- 
thusiasm as well as quench their thirst. There were very 
few men in Olympia in early days who never visited saloons. 
but on this glad time no one w^as exempt, and if a man refused 
to do his share of the drinking it was up with him to the bar, 
spread him flat on his back and pour brandy down his throat 
until the crowd felt that a sufficient amount of patriotism 
had been imbibed. 

To this day the veteran editor's voice falters when he re- 
calls the reception in Olympia of the news of the assassination 
of President Lincoln and the impression made upon the citizens. 

"We had planned a big celebration of some local event," 
said Mr. Murphy, "and had brought the Fourth Infantry band 
from Vancouver at an expense of more than .$200 to play for 
the celebration and ball in the evening. At that time the 
first telegraph office in the Northwest was just across from 
the old New England hotel. The band was on the balcony of 
the hotel playing lively airs to the delight of the entire popu- 
lation of the town. The telegraph operator came to the door 
of the office with a face as w^hite as a sheet. Without speak- 
ing a word to anyone the operator stepped to the band leader 
and handed him a slip of yellow paper. The leader glanced at 
the slip and gave a hurried order to his musicians. Without 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 109 

preliminary warning they played the strains of one of the 
saddest dirges I have ever heard. 

"The crowd was appalled and when the last strains died 
away a man stepped to the front of the balcony and an- 
nounced: 'President Lincoln has been assassinated.' There 
was not a dry eye in the assemblage when the people realized 
the meaning of the message." 

When the Standard was started Olympia was a village 
of about 1,000 population, Seattle consisted of two or three 
houses with a store and saloon to represent its business, and 
Tacoma was unknown. There was a five column weekly pub- 
lished in Seattle — The Seattle Gazette — but the proprietor was 
unable to handle any job work at all, the consequence being 
that for several years every line of job work for Seattle and 
all of the territory this side of Portland was sent to Olympia 
and turned out in the Standard office. 

Among Mr. Murphy's proud boasts is that he was the first 
newspaper carrier ever employed on the Oregonian, of Port- 
land; and that he was an attendant at the first school ever 
organized in that city. It was in that city, also, that he 
learned the printer's trade, setting his first type on the Ore- 
gon Weekly Times, within two years rising from office "devil" 
to foreman. The Standard has fought the Democratic fight 
for the past half century with the exception of the civil war 
period, when Mr. Murphy upheld the Lincoln administration. 

John Miller Murphy was born in Indiana and left an or- 
phan at an early age, living with his elder sister, Mrs. George 
Barnes. When nine years of age the lad, in company with 
Mr. and Mrs. Barnes, crossed the plains with the regulation 
yoke of oxen and underwent all the hardships attendant upon 
the trip across the continent with that means of conveyance. 
This trip was made in the year of 1850, and Mr. Barnes de- 
cided to settle in Portland, where he started a store, selling 
general merchandise. John was put to w^ork as a clerk in this 
store, although little more than a baby. Among the pleas- 
antest of the recollections of these early days are memories 
of the good times the lad enjoyed as a singer in the famous 
church choir with Dr. Griffin, of the M. E. church, leader. 
iNIr. IMurphy, as boy and man, loved music and took keen de- 
light in musical associations. 



110 THURSTON COUNTY 

In 1851 ]\Ir. Barnes decided to remove his store to Puget 
Sound and selected Olympia as the best known settlement 
in the new country. The contents of the store, together with 
the household goods, were shipped on the sailing vessel Mary 
Taylor, around from Portland, but Mr. and Mrs. Barnes and 
.Johnnie rode horseback across country. The boy rode the 
same horse as his sister, sitting astride, holding on to the 
woman to keep from slipping off. When Olympia was reached 
the family had to wait three weeks for the arrival of the ]\Iary 
Taylor with their goods. 

The store was the first in Olympia. ]M. D. Simmons, of 
Tumwater, had a trading post for Indian supplies, but the 
stock Mr. Barnes brought was the first general merchandise 
store on the Sound. The lad, by this time ten years of age, 
took his place behind the counter and was as efficient a clerk 
as any man would have been. 

The experiences the lad had with the Indian customers 
were quite amusing. He declares these people are the worst 
thieves in the world, or were in those days. When he would 
be measuring calico, of which the aborigines bought great 
quantities, a squaw would give the cloth a ciuiek jerk to pull 
the length a few inches longer than the regulation yard, 
much to the disgust of the young clerk, who spent a good 
part of his time watching them to prevent them stealing from 
the store. 

The currency of Mr. Murphy's early recollection in this 
section of the world consisted of Spanish dollars, American 
halves and quarters, Spanish doubloons, worth $16, and slugs, 
which were eight sided bars of solid gold, and worth $50. For 
convenience in making change the IMofPatt Company of San 
Francisco coined five, ten and twenty dollar pieces. While 
these were of no value as legal tender, everyone was anxious 
to secure the pieces as they weighed exactly the denomination 
represented and were of pure gold without alloy. There were 
very few dimes in circulation, no nickles, and to have tendered 
a penny piece to any one in those days would have been 
equivalent to an insult. 

The Indians preferred silver. They didn't seem to under- 
stand gold money, and gTeenbacks were so uncommon that 
they had no knowledge of them as currency. If an Indian 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 111 

had a sum due him to the amount of $5, that sum must he 
paid him in five one doUar pieces. Should a $5 gold piece 
he tendered the brave he would shake his head and say: "Tenas 
chickamun, wake tieky" — ^" little money, don't want it." Mr. 
Barnes kept a candle box under the counter filled with silver 
dollars to pay out to the Indians. However, the Indians had 
no appreciation of the value of money. If they could be in- 
duced to work at all they would work all day for the same 
c" mount they would charge for bringing a single bucket of 
water from the spring. 

The early settlers all procured their water from the com- 
mon spring which flowed clear, cold and delicious on the 
present location of the Chambers Block on the corner 
of Main and Fourth streets. The housewives would 
hire the Indians to carry the ^vater for them to supply their 
daily needs. 

The young Murphy, still of tender years, was set to work 
clearing off the block of land which was the Barnes home. 
With one half breed Indian as an assistant, the lad toiled 
all one winter cutting down the huge cedar trees, sawing 
them into lengths, rolling them together and finally burning 
the piles of wood. The work of digging out the stumps left 
by these big trees taxed the lad's strength and endurance al- 
most to the breaking point, but finally the task was accom- 
plished and the land was afterwards built upon by ]\Ir. Barnes 
and became one of the beauty spots of the city. 

There were no bridges across the two arms of the bay for 
many years after the town had become to be (luite a place, and 
from where Fifth Street now extends to Capitol Point was an 
imbroken line of Indian tepees and shacks. The entire por- 
tion of the town was comprised by the blocks between what is 
liow the corner of Fourth and Main Streets down to the water- 
front, and before the filling was done the tide came up to 
Second Street. 

When the Indian war broke out, and reports of the White 
River massacre was received here, the Indians were told thev 
must go. They remonstrated at leaving land which they had 
always looked upon as their own and did not fancy the idea 
of pulling up stakes and moving aAvay, but the settlers were 
In-m. As the alarm grew the citizens began to build the stock- 



112 THURSTON COUNTY 

vde which Avas one of the most unique structures in the his- 
tory of the Northwest. This stockade extended clear across 
from bay to bay the length of Fourth Street. 

The stockade was 20 feet high, built of four inch plank. 
Crosby's mill at Tumwater Avas kept running night and day. 
and night and day did the citizens work at the defense. ]Men. 
women and boys all helped in the building. When the stock- 
•cde was finished all moved inside, those few families who had 
their homes outside the enclosure locking up their houses the 
best they could and seeking safety with the others. This con- 
dition of affairs lasted several months and until an armed 
cruiser, the Joe Lane, came up the harbor. This cruiser car- 
lied a lot of arms and every woman and boy was furnished 
with one of those long barrelled muskets, whose "kick" was 
more deadly than the bullet. To add to the defense the citizens 
possessed an old cannon, which ancient piece of artillery would 
certainly have meant sure death to the gunner if it had been 
fired off with any considerable load, was mounted in position 
to sweep an approaching enemy, and was the pride of the 
jjeople. When all was completed, the Indian chiefs and head 
men were invited to inspect the defenses and were shown 
that the whites were in readinesss and able to protect them- 
selves, but still they lingered until the Joe Lane put in an 
appearance. When they saw the white man's "big canoe" 
Jiud heard the guns thunder forth a volley of salutation as the 
cruiser came into port, they decided that quitting time had 
come, so "folded their tents like the Arab, and silently stole 
away," never to return to settle in any considerable number in 
the immediate neighborhood of the town. 

"When I first came here, among the ladies I can recollect 
were Mrs. Alexander, Mrs. Rider, Mrs. Forey, Mary and Barney 
Wood. There were always enough ladies to fill out at least 
two sets of a quadrille at the dances which were then the 
popular amusement. And such dances — sometimes lasting not 
only all night but two and three nights. Five dollars a ticket 
was the tisual price, with an elegant supper at the hotel. No 
jiunch and wafer affairs in those good old days. The Connell 
Brothers and their fiddles were called into requisition, but 
Oliver Shed was really the star musician at the dances for h? 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 113 

(.•ould not only play the fiddle bnt call the figures as well. There 
were no wall flowers. Everybody had a good time. 

"Among the business men I can recall during my first 
years in Olympia were Lightner, Parker & Coulter Co., mer- 
chants, the second firm to open a general merchandise store 
after Mr. Barnes; Chas. A. Weed, baker; I. C. Patten, black- 
smith ; Mr. Thornton F. McElroy, who started The Columbian 
I'bout this time, and two saloons, but as I never frequented 
them I cannot remember the proprietors' names. 

"In connection with my recollections of the Indians I 
lecall one incident which has filled me with disgust for the 
breed ever since. What was called a sulphur-bottom whale, 
probably 90 feet in length, floundered up the bay, one morn- 
ing in the early '50s, and on reaching the shallow water was 
unable to swim out to sea again and was stranded as the tide 
went out. This was a rich find for the Indians. They cut off 
great chunks of the meat from the sides of the whale, and 
when this part was cut into portions the Indians climbed right 
into the location made famous by Jonah, the insides of the 
immense fish being considered a special delicacj^ by the filthy 
things. 

"Well, I became tired of working for relations and wanted 
to go back to Portland, so I bid the Barnes" good-bye and 
started out to seek my fortune on my own account. When 
I reached there I apprenticed myself out to learn the printing 
trade on the Oregon Weekly, with John 0. Waterman, editor, 
and owned by Carter & Austin. Later I went to Oregon City 
and worked on a paper belonging to D. W. Craig. After a 
year I located in Vancouver, Washington, where I started the 
Chronicle. At the end of three months I sold out and returned 
to Olympia. 

"This was in 1860, and soon after my arrival here I started 
the Washington Standard, which I personally conducted and 
eidited until about a year ago. 

"When I returned to Olympia I was still unmarried, but 
had my courting done. I was engaged to be married to Miss 
Maguire, a daughter of the family of Oregon printers. As 
soon as I had established my business and saw reasonable 
prosperity ahead of me, I went to Portland for my bride. 

"We came from Monticello landing by stage, making the 



114 THURSTON COUNTY 

trip in one day. This trip had formerly taken three hard 
days' travelling. But the roads had been so mnch improved 
and a generally better service provided that the trip had 
lost much of its tediousness. 

"For five years The Standard was published in a little 
building on the corner of First and Main Streets. In 1885 
I purchased the land where my office and home stand to 
this day. 

"When I was ready to move my office I procured a scow 
and floated it right up to the door of the First street office, 
loaded my cases and press and other printing material on it 
and poled the scow over to the new office, unloading and 
getting the scow out of the way on high tide. That is the time 
I cheated the express man. 

"I well remember when the first pony express was started 
between Monticello and Olympia. The riders made the trip 
in half a day. changing their riding ponies every few miles. 
Twenty-five cents was charged for carrying a letter and a 
proportionate charge for small parcels. 

"Music, sweet music, was ever my heart's delight. I 
have always taken the greatest pleasure in music and although 
I make no claims to ability in that line I certainly enjoyed 
plink plunking my guitar. Many a pleasant night, in company 
with Jim Hays, Dave Drewry and Henry Willard. have I 
gone from house to house serenading the pretty girls. The 
other boys all performed on violins and with my guitar we 
made some very creditable music. At least, we thought we 
did, judging from the pleasant receptions we received from 
our charmers. We would assemble beneath some fair one's 
window and pour forth dulcet strains until we would see a 
light appear in the window, a signal that we were heard and 
appreciated. Sometimes the girls would invite us in and 
give us refreshments along with their thanks. 

"Well, the years have gone by. I have retired from the 
publishing field, but the lure of printers' ink calls me even 
yet, and one of my pleasures is in writing some of the pioneer 
reminiscences as they occur to me. 

"I served as Territorial Auditor for three terms, and was 
a City Councilman in the early '90s. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 



115 



"Early in life I adopted the slogan, 'Be not fearful to 
speak out, but be sure to speak right.' I can think of nothing 
more to add. I am down to cases. William Mitchell and my- 
self are the only ones still living of the men and women I found 
in Olympia at the time of my first arrival." 



116 THURSTON COUNTY 



THE B. L. BROWN FAMILY 



That this compilation of reminiscences shonld have been 
started 25 years ago was never more forcibly impressed than 
when the compiler undertook to gather the chief and most 
thrilling experiences of those delate pioneers, Benjamin F. 
Brown and his wife, Mary Olney Brown. Of the eleven 
children born to this couple, only the second to the last child, 
Oscar Brown, could be located. Oscar has been away from 
Olympia so much of his eventful life, that, perforce, his recol- 
lections of the early Olympia days are overshadowed by more 
exciting events in his life. Twice around the world, mining 
in Alaska, hunting and trapping along the Natches Pass and 
still wilder spots, taking adventurous cruises all alone in his 
trusty sail boat, ranger and guide in the Olympic reserve, 
Oscar's life history alone would till a good-sized volume. 

But had the writer only been inspired to start this work 
during the life of that noblest Roman of them all, Theodore 
L. Brown, what a rich field of tale and anecdote could have 
been opened up. He was full to the brim of stories of his early 
experiences, and as he was older than the remaining son, could 
remember farther back along in the days when his family 
lived on the old donation claim, a couple of miles down on the 
west side of the bay. 

Benjamin F. Brown was born in South Orange, New Jersey, 
but removed to Iowa while still a young man. Here he met 
and married ]Miss ]\Iary Olney and after a few years of married 
life, the j'oung couple decided to try their fortunes in the 
Golden West that was then beginning to attract the adven- 
turous with its fair promises and glittering prospects. 

The long trip was filled with more than the usual hard- 
ships and sorrow, for cholera and scurvy broke out in their 
train and many deaths among the emigrants were caused by 
these dread diseases. The Browns laid two of their little 
children away in lonely graves beside the muddy Platte River 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 117 

The grass on the plains was so dried np and the travelling so 
hard that all the horses that the conple started out with died 
along the way, the oxen began to give out, everyone who pos- 
sibly could had to walk to save the animals' strength and 
finally the cows, which were being driven along to supply milk 
to the emigrants and for a start of stock in the new country, 
were yoked up with the oxen. Mrs. Brown told her children 
many a time, in happier times, about their finding a lone woman 
crying beside the road one hot, dreary day. Her family, horsee 
all had died, leaving her there on the plains absolutely alone 
The Browns picked her up and brought her along to Oregon 
with them, sharing with the unfortunate woman theii s'^an^"' 
store. Another of the many incidents of true nobleness ai.-v 
generosity that stand out a white mile stone along thp darl; 
path of these early pioneers. 

This trip was made in 18-16. and the first stop for anv 
length of time was made at Portland. A few years were spent 
at this place, and in the Spring of 1852 Mr. Brown, Washington 
]J'rench and John French came on up to Puget Sound. The 
country was then quite well known and attracting considerable 
attention. Mr. Brown's family was left in Portland, while 
he located on a donation claim that was for many years to 
be the homestead. The Frenchs also took up donation claims 
and became among the best known and respected of the early 
settlers. Washington French married a sister of Mrs. Brown. 

When Brown returned for his family, he found that all 
his cattle, which he had left on the ranges near The Dalles, 
had perished the previous winter. All the live stock he had 
remaining was one poor, lone black cow. At this time an 
uncle of Mrs. Brown's, Cyrus Olney, had started a fruit nur- 
sery near Portland, the first one this side the Rockies. He 
raised his trees from apple seeds brought over the old Oregon 
Trail in ox wagons, and as the trees grew rapidly and thrived 
exceedingly well in the rich soil, there was enough stock on 
hand to furnish Mr. Brown with a supply to bring to Puget 
Sound and sell among the settlers. These young trees were 
peddled clear to Steilacoom, over what is now Chehalis and 
Thurston and Lewis Counties. One dollar a graft was readily 
•»aid by the settlers. This was the first start towards the fine 



118 THURSTON COUNTY 

orchards which have since made Thurston County known for 
excellent fruit. 

Mr. Brown's next business venture was to build the his- 
toric wharf on the "Westside in partnership with John French. 
At this wharf were unloaded all the freight that came to 
Olympia from San Francisco for years, until Capt. Percival 
built the dock which is in use at the present time. Here 
steamers loaded wood, which Mr. Brown had cut and hauled 
by the hundreds of cords from the timber in the immediate 
vicinity of the wharf. Later Brown sold the timber on his 
donation claim to the veteran logger, I. C. Ellis, for 50 cents 
per thousand. 

Oscar Brown is still able to recall tales his mother used to 
tell her children about the exchange of courtesies between her- 
self and the officers of the naval ships which would come into 
the harbor. Among the army officers she knew was U. S. 
Grant, then a stripling of a lieutenant, stationed at Fort Van- 
couver. The story runs that Grant w^as then as wild and dare- 
devil as any. 

The mother's stories of their escapes from the Indians 
and the siege of terror in which the family lived for weeks, 
expecting an attack any night from the savages, are among the 
children's most vivid recollections. For several nights the 
whole Brown family slept out behind a big log, not daring to 
stay in their house for fear of a night raid. Finally the danger 
menaced so strongly that the family came to town and took up 
their quarters in the block house. During this time their son 
Theodore was bom. 

In the year of 1866 the Browns took up a homestead on 
White River and loading all their effects on a three-ton sail- 
boat, made Johnson's Point the first night, and then by easy 
stages the rest of their water trip. An Indian trail was fol- 
lowed when the boat was abandoned, and so on to the new 
home. 

Later, Mrs. Brown took the children to Seattle and put 
them in school, the Territorial University being the place 
where the younger of the children received the greater part 
of their education. Theodore and his sister Harriet, who after- 
wards became Mrs. Murphy, developed very pleasing voices 
and v/henever an entertainment of home talent was put on 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 119 

in the historic Yesler Hall they shone as bright particular stars. 

Mrs. Brown was a woman of remarkable energy and pos- 
sessed of considerable literary talent. Her poems and writings 
for the local papers were much admired by her friends. IMrs. 
"Coldwater" Brown the lady was called in later years when 
the family returned to Olympia to live. She earned this title 
from the many cures she effected among children ill with fevers 
and other ailments. Her cures with applications of first hot, 
then cold water, were said to have been quite remarkable. 
Far and wide, in the country as well as in town, Mrs. Brown 
was sent for, night or day. She always responded to an appeal 
for help with unfailing zeal and kind heartedness. Her memory 
is still cherished by the descendants of the pioneers. 

In searching over an old scrap book compiled by her son 
Theodore, was found the poem written by his mother, which 
is appended. It possesses true literary merit and is a fitting 
testimonial to the lady's ability in this line. 

Mrs. Brown died in Olympia in 1884 and was survived by 
her husband by about ten years. 

In 1891 the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Brown carried 
the first flag to the top of Mount Rainier that was left there. 
Some years previously one of the Longmires had carried a 
United States flag to the top, but had brought it away with him. 
Brown and party carried a flag staff with them and with great 
difficulty reached the summit. The staff was securely kept in 
an vipright position with a pile of large rocks heaped around 
its base. The colors Avere hoisted and waved out in the fierce 
wind which was blowing. Scarcely had the flag straightened 
out than the wind snapped the staff off clean and blew staff, 
flag and all beyond their reach down the mountain side. Two 
years later the flag was recovered and pieces of the banner 
sold on the street of Seattle as souvenirs, a piece a few inches 
across selling for one dollar. 

A sister, Mrs. Seth Murphy, died a number of years ago 
in Olympia. Theodore Lee Brown had always had a love for 
the old homestead, which had long since passed into strangers' 
hands. So in the later years of his life and after many adven- 
tures and wanderings, he purchased part of the land and began 
to build up a home. "The Firs," one of the best known of 
summer cottages on the Olympia water front, was built by him, 



120 THURSTON COUNTY 

much of the work around the place in the shape of rustic seats, 
the artistic name over the door and other more practical things 
being the work of his own hands. And here it came to pass 
his life ended where his life had practically begun after a 
pleasant and useful life of 56 years. In 1886 Theodore married 
Miss Martha Strange, of Menasha, Wisconsin, and his widow 
makes her home during all the summer months at the place he 
held so dear — The P^irs. 



MOUNT RAINIER. 

(Poem written by jMa^'y Olney Brown, a pioneer woman). 
Beautiful mountain, grand and sublime, 
Thou standest alone in thy pride ; 
Thy base firmly fixed on the adamant rock, 
Thy head in the clouds thou dost hide. 

Say, tell me, how long since thou first was upheaved, 
From the bosom of earth thou didst rise ; 
Since the white snows have crested thy breast 
And thj' head thou hast hid in the skies? 

Was it when the earth in its primeveal state 

First came from the hand of its God? 

Ere the trees of the forest had spread forth their leaves. 

And the grass and the flowers decked the sod? 

How oft have I gazed on thy snow covered peak. 
With rapture no language can tell ; 
And thought couldst thou once be permitted to speak, 
Of strange things thou surely would tell. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 



121 



Thou couldst tell of the time when old ocean's tide 
First rolled its bright waves to the shore ; 
When beasts of the forest roamed over the earth 
And the birds in the air first did soar. 

Thou couldst tell of the nations that in ages gone by 
First dwelt on these valleys and plains — 

But have passed from the earth like the flowers of the field, 
And naught of their grandeur remains 

Save a few hoary ruins and burial grounds, 
By trees of the forest o'er grown; 
That tell us that since those nations have lived, 
Long ages, indeed, must have flown. 



But silent thou standest, in grandeur sublime 
And enraptured I gaze on thee still ; 
With feelings no language of mine can express- 
i\[y heart strings convulsively thrill. 



122 THURSTON COUNTY 



MRS. JANE W. PATTISON 



The place Mrs. Jane Willey Pattison holds among the ranks 
of Thurston County pioneers is almost unique, for while every 
woman who came to this country over the Old Oregon Trail 
endured hardships and privations, dangers and sufferings, 
Mrs. Pattison 's experiences, as related by herself, were so wild 
and thrilling that the pen of the compiler hesitates in seeking 
Avords strong enough and description sufficiently vivid to show 
the bravery and genuine pluck of this little woman. 

Born in Ayreshire, Scotland, not far from Glasgow, 
daughter of well-to-do parents, the little Jane was brought to 
New York City when but three years old. Her life in that 
city is among Mrs. Pattison 's earliest recollections, and she 
can remember it when it was but a scattering hamlet with but 
a few thousand inhabitants. 

When Jane was seven years of age the Willeys moved into 
what was then the wilds of Illinois, taking up the occupation 
of farming. Here Jane grew to young womanhood, received 
her education and, in 1847, became the wife of James Patti- 
son, one of several brothers of a neighboring family. 

"You know college-raised people generally are not much 
account, but my people were A No. 1," the little woman as- 
serted, with a pardonable pride, "and they had me taught how 
to do a great many useful things, and a number of accom- 
plishments besides. But Father-in-Law Pattison was a man 
terribly set in his way and when he said, 'We'll go out West,' 
none of his sons dared to object. V\''e — my husband and my- 
self — wanted to go, too. in a way, but I didn't like being dic- 
tated to by the old man, but we finally decided to come along, 
though father-in-law was always boss of the train, and when 
he said stop we'd stop and when he said go on we'd travel, 
and it was that way the whole time of the long trip from 
Illinois. Mr. Pattison called for so many vexatious delays and 
was such a poor manager that we got caught out by the winter 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 123 

when we reached the Cascade Falls above Fort Vancouver. 
When we left Sparta, Illinois, there were the seven Pattison 
brothers, Mr. and Mrs. Pattison, senior, myself, with a three 
month's old baby in my arms, and another family named 
Willey, distant kin folks. This family, however, became dis- 
satisfied with father-in-law's management and left our com- 
pany before we were caught by the snow and cold. 

"When we reached where The Dalles, Oregon, is (but 
which was then a perfect wilderness), the men cut logs and 
made a raft for us to go on down the Columbia River. Our 
baggage was piled on this rude craft and we humans huddled 
on as best we could. We were twelve days travelling nine 
miles. The winds were so strong that we v/ere always being 
blown back the way we had come. The icy water was often 
dashed all over us and we were pretty thoroughly discouraged. 
When we reached the Cascades the snow was deep and the 
weather bitter cold. One of the Pattison brothers drove our 
oxen along the trail beside the river to where they could get 
some grass to eat. The brother then returned to help make 
the raft and when they went to look for the cattle they had 
strayed away and we never did find them. We were first snow- 
bound in the latter part of November, and on Christmas day 
we reached Portland. 

"When at the place where we were held up to make the 
raft our provisions were exhausted and we had absolutely 
nothing to eat. Had it not been for the kindness of an Indian 
family who were camped not far from where we were we 
would have starved to death. This family had a considerable 
stock of salmon, dried and pounded, which I always thought 
looked like the stuff they stop up cracks in boats with (oakum). 
This family was mighty good to us and let us have enough of 
the salmon to keep alive on for four or five weeks. In payment 
Mr. Pattison told them to pick out whatever we had that they 
wanted, and, if they didn't choose my clothes. So one bj^ one 
I had to see the articles of my wardrobe disappear — now a 
dress, then a skirt or jacket, and so on till my clothes were 
all eaten up and I had a good many, too, for I hadn't been 
married a great while and my parents had given me a good 
setting out. Well, by the time my clothes were all gone, down 
to one ragged skirt and jacket, the raft was done and v/e man- 



124 THURSTON COUNTY 

aged to get on down the river to where Portland now is, but 
there were only a few log cabins there then. A man loaned 
us a boat and we went on up the river to Oregon City, which 
was a settlement of several houses. Our men folks got work 
on the road which was being built from this place to Portland, 
and we were fortunate enough to find an empty log house into 
which we could move. I didn't go outside the house; I was 
that ragged and poorly dressed I was ashamed, besides I had 
all those men to cook for, the baby to take care of and mighty 
few utensils to manage with. I didn't even have a washboard 
and it was no light task washing the heavy shirts for those 
men, besides Willie's — the baby's clothes. Well, one day a 
neighbor woman, Mrs. Moore, called to me across the back 
yard and asked me if I wouldn't like to do some sewing for 
her. I eagerly accepted the offer and she told me she would 
give me calico for a dress for myself if I would make her one. 
I was just plum tickled and when her dress was done it looked 
so nice and neat that the other women in Oregon City asked 
me to sew for them, too, so I began to earn enough to get my- 
self some decent clothes again. I was always up at daybreak 
in the morning and would sew every minute I could spare from 
my cooking and other work, and when night came I would 
make up a big fire in the old fireplace and sew by the light of 
the flames. I had no other light of any kind. 

"After about a year of this life Father-in-Law Pattison 
decided we would come up into the Cowlitz country. I hated 
to leave Oregon City, for the men could get work there and 
I was beginning to get a little used to the place, but we had 
to come. Our means of travel this time was down the Columbia 
River in Indian canoes manned by Indian braves. When we 
reached the mouth of the Cowlitz River we found one family 
already settled there — the Catlins. They were very kind to 
us and showed us many favors. Father-in-law liked the looks 
of the country and decided to stop there. A little shack was 
built 'way out in the brush and we soon moved in. One day a 
white man, heading a train of about one hundred Indians, came 
riding up to the shack. The Indians had their ponies packed 
with bundles of dried furs which they were taking to the 
Hudson Bay trading post, which wasn't very far away, on tlv; 
Columbia River. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 125 

" 'Hello,' called the man, 'my name is Roberts and I am 
manager of the Hudson Bay post; can I stay here all night?' 
" 'Why,' I said, 'you see, we haven't much room,' but he said 
the Indians could camp on the ground outside the house and 
if only he could sleep in the house he would be satisfied. We 
let him do that and a very pleasant and talkative man he was, 
too, and very interesting. During the evening he told about 
having a ranch or clearing further on up the Cowlitz River 
and said he didn't see how he was going to get it worked, for 
it took all his time to manage the Hudson Bay property. Mr. 
Pattison didn't say anything, but I just wanted to break away 
from the old folks and take up ]\Ir. Roberts' offer more than 
I ever wanted anything in my life. In the morning Roberts 
went on his way, telling us that he would be back within a 
few days. The old man must have guessed what was in my 
mind, for he gave me hardly any chance to talk to my hus- 
band alone, but when Mr. Roberts came back again and we 
were all sitting around the fireplace in the evening I managed 
to get my seat right in front of my father-in-law's where he 
couldn't see my face and when Mr. Roberts began talking 
again about his clearing, I said, 'IMy husband and I have de- 
cided to accept your offer and go and work your ranch if you 
want us to.' Husband didn't say anything, but father-in-law was 
terribly mad, but couldn't object right there. So then and 
there the bargain was struck. 'When can you be ready?' 
asked Mr. Roberts. 'We haven't anything to get ready,' I 
told him, 'so we can go any time.' In the morning Mr. Roberts 
sent some Indians with us in a canoe, together with what few 
possessions we could call our very own. We travelled all day 
up the Cowlitz, and when we finally reached the landing were 
met by a Hudson Bay man, a friend of Roberts', a Mr. Gobar. 
A brother of my husband had taken the trail along the river's 
banks with the span of mules with which we proposed to plow 
the land. At the landing we were met by a brother of Mr. 
Roberts with a yoke of Spanish oxen and only the running gear 
of a wagon. I just couldn't stick on that wagon gear, so our 
things were tied on as best we could and Willie and I were 
put on one of the mules. I had a man's saddle and had to hold 
the babj'', so couldn't manage the beast very well, and when 
we were about four miles from the end of our destination my 



126 THURSTON COUXTY 

mule bucked me, "Willie and the saddle off. I struck my head 
against the root of a tree and that is where I g'ot this scar." 
(Itlrs. Pattison pushed back her silver hair and showed a very 
perceptible scar above the temple). "Husband came back to 
see what was the matter, and as we still had four miles to go 
and as it was getting on towards night I just had to climb up 
on that mule again and ride him on to the clearing. Well, 
when we finall}^ got there we found that the house we had 
been promised was a good half mile away and not finished at 
that and it was raining hard. What to do then? There we 
were miles and miles from anywhere with no roof to cover us 
for the night. While the men were bemoaning the hard plight 
I looked around and spied a sheep shed that had been aban- 
doned the year before by the Hudson Bay people, as it was 
their custom, when one pasturage was eaten off, to drive the 
flock on to some new place. I went over and looked in and 
decided that here, at least, was shelter, for there was a fairly 
good roof and the dirt floor was dry, although lumpy and 
rough from the sheeps' feet. I called the men and started to 
fix a pole across one side of the pen to hold our bedding in 
position during the night. I then had our bedclothes unloaded 
from the wagon and made the bed so the baby could go to 
sleep. There was a big log right in front of the opening or 
door of the sheep shed, so the men made a big fire there and I 
got supper. As the season was getting late, the men had to 
go right to plowing, so they left Willie and me there to get 
settled as best I could. The first thing was to clean house, so 
I hacked a good stout branch off a tree and with long tough 
grasses I managed to tie cedar branches to this stick for a 
broom. I then swept the roof and walls of the shed, smoothed 
down the dirt floor the best I could and began to make my 
furniture. Not far from the sheep shed there had been a barn 
made of boards hewn out by hand and put together without 
nails, the joists tied together with rawhide thongs. During 
the previous winter this barn had blown over sideways, loos- 
ening a number of the boards so I could pull them awa.y. The 
only tools I had to work with were a hammer, ax and augur — 
no saw, and I would have given an eye tooth for a saw. 

"My first work was to put a floor in the shed, so I dragged 
tbese wide boards from the barn and as they were much too 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 127 

long, I slipped them along the dirt floor, letting one end push 
out under the logs, which didn't come quite to the ground. 
Many and many a trip I had to make between the barn and the 
shed before I had finished, Willie trailing along after me every 
trip, never whining and complaining as most babies would do 
these days — just trailing along. When the floor was done 1 
hacked with an ax enough boards to go inside, and with these 
made a sort of a platform on one side of the shed. On this 
I spread a lot of hay that had been left in the barn and there 
was our bed. When the barn was blown over it left exposed 
some of the round stumps which had been used for corner 
foundations. I rolled two of these to the shed — our seats. 
After a long time and with lots of work. Mr. Pattison and I 
bored auger holes in the boards of the floor in which we fixed 
two upright sticks cut from the woods ; on these I put some 
boards, letting one end extend out through a crack between 
the logs, and so we had a table — all the furniture we wanted 
or could use. I did my cooking and w^e kept warm by the 
open fire in front of the shed. We lived there all that summer 
and until the crops were harvested. Later in the fall we moved 
into Mr. Roberts' house, a half mile away from the field, which 
the men finished in a rough way for occupancy. While in 
this house a band of Indians came by one morning. They 
came close to the door to look in, as we were a sort of curiosity 
to them. Willie stood in the open door watching them, and 
so came in contact with them. Their papooses had a contagious 
disease, but I didn't know it then. The baby caught this 
disease and died within a few days. I thought I never could 
get over that blow. When the crops were gathered we took 
the wheat to the barn of Mr. Gobar, our nearest neighbor. 
and flailed the wheat out on his floor. He gave us the use 
of his fanning mill and we had a considerable lot of wheat 
and potatoes to pay us for our summer's work. 

"One day while I was sitting at the door of the sheep 
shed with Willie playing at my feet, who should come riding 
down the trail but a white woman with a little boy astride on 
the horse behind her. It proved to be Mrs. George Barnes, 
w^ho was just married and coming to Olympia from Portland 
with her young husband. The boy was her little brother. John 
Miller Murphy. How glad I was to see one of my sex I can 



128 THURSTON COUNTY 

never tell you, and years afterwards when we finally settled 
in Olympia, Mrs. Barnes renewed the acquaintance began in 
front of the sheep shed and we became fast friends. ]Many a 
night Mrs. Barnes would take her lantern and come along the 
trail to my house to visit me during the evening while my 
children were sleeping. She was a good woman and I will 
never forget her. 

"About this time we decided to take advantage of the 
Government's liberal offer in regard to donation claims. In 
those days to every man was given the chance to take up 640 
acres of land and, as an encouragement to the women who had 
to endure the trials and privations of the wilderness, for a 
very few years the Government made the offer to her of an 
equal amount of land as that her husband was given, as a sort 
of a recompense for her hardships. Uncle Sam gave us women 
this land just as he would a new dress or something else we 
wanted real badly, for it was a recognized fact the women 
were worth as much as the men in settling up and developing 
the new country. Well, with an ox team we came to Tum- 
water, or Newmarket, as it was called then. Crosby's mill and 
store was about all that there was there. We swam the oxen 
across the Des Chutes River and went out on what was even 
then called Chambers Prairie, travelling through big woods all 
the way. David Chambers was living on the Chambers home- 
stead and we took up our donation claims next to his. Pat- 
tison Lake was on our place and was named from my hus- 
band. Here we built what was to be our home for many long, 
hard years — a log cabin, added to from time to time as the 
babies began to come. Three of my children were born there. 
It was a hard, lonesome life I led there. It seemed that if ever 
there was a hard, unpleasant thing to be done I was the one 
to be called on. For a few years I had no babies to keep me 
tied down, so whenever the neighboring women for ten miles 
around were sick, or there was a new baby came, or a death — 
any trouble — I was always the first one sent for, and I was 
nothing but a kid in years myself." 

Here Mrs. Pattison ceased talking for a moments and be- 
gan silently musing into the past. Her eyes grew dreamy and 
it was plain that once again the heroic woman was ministering 
the wants of the friends Avho long since have finished their 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 129 

work. A query about the Indian war brought her wide awake 
again and started her flow of reminiscences. 

''Yes, indeed, I was in the Indian war, and Ivnew the in- 
stant Mr. William White was killed, for I heard the shot and 
saw part of the struggle. Mr. White, with his wife and her 
sister, JMrs. Stewart, had been to church that day, the two 
women, each with a little child in her arms, were riding in a 
cart, with Mr. White walking behind with the lines in his hands 
driving the horse, when the Indians emerged on foot from a 
little point of timber a little ahead of them. They began to 
struggle with J\Ir. White and the horse became frightened and 
ran away with the women. This brought them away safe, and 
the last Mrs. White saw of her husband in life he was grap- 
pling with a big Indian buck. We knew very well that Mr. 
White was killed, but none dared to go after his body that 
evening, so all night we waited in fear and trembling, not 
knowing what moment the Indians would attack our cabin, 
but we were not molested, and in the morning my men folks 
started after Mr. White. I told them to take one of my sheets 
along, which they did. They found the body where they 
thought they would. There had evidently been a great strug- 
gle before Mr. White gave up his life, for the ground was all 
torn up and trampled. Mr. White's dog had stayed by his 
master all night. The Indians had stripped the body of every 
stitch of clothing except the boots. Our men placed the body 
on a board they had taken for that purpose, spread the sheet 
over him and brought the remains to the spring in front of our 
house. They called me and I bound up the dead man's head 
the best way I could to hide the cruel wounds and bruises the 
Indians had made. One arm was broken and he was shot 
through a vital part. Then I spread another clean sheet over 
the form and the men carried him on the board to a vacant 
house belonging to Mr. Chambers. I followed on foot and 
that wasn't an easy thing to do. When we got to the house 
we were joined by Mrs. White and the neighbors. Among the 
most pathetic events of this awful day was the arrival of Mrs. 
Bigelow, Mr. White's daughter. Mrs. Bigelow had only been 
married a little over a year and was quite a young girl. She 
came galloping up with her four-months '-old baby in her 
arms, the rain simply pouring down on the mother and child. 



130 THURSTON COUNTY 

My husband took the baby and helped the distracted girl from 
her horse. She ran into where her father's body was laid and 
I tell you that was hard, too. I warmed the baby and tended 
it all day. That baby is now Mrs, Tirzah Royal. 

"We buried Mr. White out in the little cemetery on Cham- 
bers Prairie and then had to return to our homes. When I 
started back, one after another of the neighboring women 
begged to go with me and stay at our house till the scare quieted 
down. So in all we were fourteen who were sheltered by our 
two-room cabin. Here we stayed for three weeks while the men 
were building the block house. This block house on Chambers 
Prairie was standing until a few years ago. As I had a big 
Dutch oven I baked all the bread that was consumed by these 
fourteen people, and I can tell you I baked every, and all 
day, too. 

"When the block house was finished we all moved in. 
The families who were there at that time and who had rooms in 
the block house were Thomas Chambers, the McMillans, Mrs. 
White with her children, the O'Neals, the Parsons and Mrs. 
Stewart. Mrs. Stewart gave birth to a baby the day after we 
moved in. Almost all our men had joined the volunteers to 
fight the Indians and we women, with the children, had to 
stay there all the time with one or two men left to guard us. 
We brought our water from the creek, the banks of which 
had been cleared of brush so the Indians couldn't ambush 
there. It was very unhandy to do our work, for each family 
had only one room in the block house to live in, and every- 
thing — cooking, washing, sleeping — had to be done in this one 
room. I got so tired of that way of living that we were the 
first family to return to our home, but we were not molested 
and soon took up our regular way of living. 

"Well, the years passed and we had three children who 
were ready to be sent to school, so we sold my part of the 
donation claim to David Chambers and moved into town, where 
the children could have advantages and see something. We 
came to Olympia the week Lincoln was assassinated. I was 
glad to come, for we were all good and tired of living avfay out 
there. We bought a place of John Swan, on the Eastside. 
which has been the Pattison home ever since, although the 
orchard that my husband planted has long ago been divided 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 



131 



up into city lots and is almost all built over now. When we 
moved to our new home, Mrs. Bigelow, Mrs. Horton and a little 
later, Dr. Lansdale, were my only neighbors. We have had 
seven children, only two, my son James Renwick and Mrs. 
Brad Davis, are still living. My husband, father-in-law, all 
the Pattison brothers, my babies, all are gone, but I am still 
here." 



132 THURSTON COUNTY 



LOUIS BETTMAN 



Louis Bettman came to Olympia in 1853 from the land of 
his nativity, the province of Bavaria, Germany, while a mere 
lad of 20 years of age. In company with his brothers. Mose 
and Sig Bettman, he opened a general merchandise store in 
the newly settled hamlet of Olympia. The location of this 
pioneer store was on the corner of ]\Iaiu and Second Streets. 
Indeed, all the business conducted in the hamlet was centered 
within a radius of a very few blocks in that neighborhood. 
Contemporaneous merchants were George Barnes, Gus. Kosen- 
thal and Thomas Macleay and Samuel Percival. 

There was very little money in circulation among the 
pioneer settlers, consequently much of the trade consisted in 
bartering groceries, shoes and dry goods for butter, wool, hides 
and some grain. As the price allowed for these commodities 
was very low and the demand from San Francisco brisk for 
every kind of produce, the profits accruing to the merchants 
by the exchange was considerable. 

In 1860 Mr. Bettman took a pleasure trip to San Francisco 
and while there met and fell in love with iMiss Amelia Coblentz, 
who was visiting in that city froin her home in Los Angeles. 
After a very few weeks' courtship Mr. Bettman persuaded 
Miss Coblentz to accompany him on his return to Olympia. 
The young couple started for Puget Sound immediately after 
their wedding. A journey of four days on a sailing vessel 
before Olympia was reached. 

In Mrs. Bettman 's own words: "We landed at Brown's 
wharf, down on the west side, which was the only landing 
place for large vessels then. My first breakfast in the town 
was taken at the Pacific House, on the corner of Fourth and 
Main Streets, with 'Aunt Becky' Howard as landlady. 

"We soon went to housekeeping in a tiny house owned 
by Judge Landers, which stood for many years on the site 
now occupied by the Mitchell Hotel. The place was then well 




IvOUIS BKTTMAN AND WIFE 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 133 

back in the woods and surrounded by tall, ugly stumps. I 
sometimes thought I'd just die of homesickness when I first 
came here, everything was so new and strange and rough. I 
thought I never could endure to spend my young life amid 
such scenes. But when the children began coming and my 
household cares kept increasing this feeling gradually wore 
awa}' and before I realized it I had gained quite a circle 
of pleasant acquaintances and began to feel at home and 
satisfied. 

"The people in the town then were like one big family. 
Every once in a while we would get together for an all-night 
dance. Everybody danced with everybody else. There were 
no cliques — nobody put on style, and everything was free 
and easy. My intimate friends among the pioneer women 
were Mrs. George Blankenship, Mrs. Rosenthal, Mrs. Chas. 
Burmister, Mrs. George Barnes and ]\Irs. Captain Doane." 

Mrs. Bettman was reticent in talking about herself and 
husband, but it needs no historian to recall to the memory of 
the old timers that Mr. Bettman was always prominently identi- 
fied with the prosperity of the growing city and at the time 
of his death in 1904 had accumulated a considerable property 
and left a reputation for business integrity and personal honor 
which entitles his memory to a niche in the hall of fame of 
Olympia pioneers. 

Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bettman : Belle, 
Mrs. Oppenheimer; Josephine, who died several years before 
her father, and W. W. Bettman, the latter still conducting the 
store founded by his father over 60 years ago. Mrs. Bettman 
is best known locally through her untiring labors in the Ladies' 
Relief Society. For many years she has been chairman of the 
relief committee of this society and wherever and whenever 
she hears the call of want or distress Mrs. Bettman responds 
with ready sympathy, judicious expenditure of the society's 
funds and unfailing judgment. 



134 THURSTON COUNTY 



THOMAS PRATHER 



A dark, rainy afternoon was devoted to g^athering such 
fragments of the reminiscences of that Nestor of Pioneers, 
Thomas Prather, as stood out most prominently in his recol- 
lection. 

Had the compiler of this sketch kept to original inten- 
tions and recorded word for word the story of Mr. Prather 's 
experiences as told by himself, the reader, as was the writer, 
would be led a merry chase from Boone County, Missouri, to 
California, back to the boyhood home again, then to Oregon, 
down to Panama, out to sea, struggling with sea sickness, 
to the Colville gold fields, fighting Indians, making love to 
the Pioneer maidens, canoeing, surveying, logging, always in 
the front ranks of action, and ever and always every whit 
a man, and now, in his declining years drifting into a quiet 
eddy, spending his days at peace with his God and his fellow 
man. 

As the tale progressed and Mr. Prather 's memory travelled 
back to the scenes and incidents of those stirring times a 
reminiscent glow came into his eyes, his form straightened 
and many times he would stride around the room in the ex- 
citement of calling once again from the shades of the past 
those friends who, shoulder to shoulder with him, laid the 
foundation of our city and made possible the prosperity and 
advantages the descendants of these men and women enjoy 
today. 

Although Mr. Prather 's reminiscences were often rambling 
and embroidered with many irrevelant particulars, his memory 
was surprisingly good and his unswerving loyalty to his old 
time friends and associates was a beautiful tribute to the 
warm feelings these Pioneers entertained for each other. The 
essential incidents of Mr. Prather 's life as told by himself 
are as follows : 

"I was born in Boone County, Missouri, in 1832, which 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 135 

makes me in the neighborhood of 82 years of age. I was 
the fifth son of my parents, and a hard struggle we had for 
existence on my father's plantation in the then territory of JMis- 
souri. My father died when I was only eight years old, and I 
can remember spending many a day in the hot sun dropping 
corn for 25 cents for the ten hours' work. 

"In 1849, came the story of the gold strike in California, 
and my brother James took the gold fever and left for the 
West. The following Spring of 1850, I said: 'Now, Tom, no 
more working for 25 cents a day, when you might as well be 
getting from $6 to $8 a day in the gold fields.' So in spite 
of mother's remonstrances, I left the school room, joined 
an ox train, and came to California, spending seven and a 
half months on the journey. 

"When I got there, sure enough, I went to work at once 
for $6 a day, and soon had saved up $250, which was more 
money than I'd ever had at one time before in my life. I 
was sick, however, and thought I had better pull out of there 
and go home. I went by water this time, by the way of 
Psnajna. 

"I had no sooner got back to Missouri than the lure of 
the West called me again, so in the Spring of 1852, when Judge 
Gilmore Hays and Andrew Cowen, as partners, organized a 
wagon expedition to come to the almost unknown country 
called Oregon, I tendered my services, which were accepted. 

"This train consisted of fourteen wagons, with a total 
cf 99 human beings, men, women and children. Among the 
emigrants were the four Hays brothers, all of whom remained 
in the West and became identified with Thurston county's 
early history, four Yantis brothers, Dr. N. Ostrander and 
twenty-five young men, the latter paying the partners. Hays 
and Cowen, $125 each for grub and for having their blankets 
hauled across the continent. They all rode their horses, as 
did I, myself. Most important of all the train's people to 
Tom were five (in my eyes), beautiful young ladies, who rode 
w^th us every day on their own horses. As I was generally 
a handy man about the train, I said to myself, 'Well, Tom. 
here's where you have a picnic,' so I made the charge of these 
girls my special duty, helping them mount their horses in the 
morning and to dismount when camp was reached. These 
girls were Kate Yantis, her cousin, Sarah Yantis. afterwarns 



136 THURSTON COUNTY 

Mrs. G. C. Blankenship, two Ostrander girls, and Jerusha Jane 
Logan Hays, the beautiful daughter of the captain of the 
train. 

"One other special duty was assigned me by Captain 
Hays and it was to see that, every morning as camp was broken, 
that a pair of saddle bags were securely strapped onto a 
stripped mule, which was always ridden by the oldest Hays 
boy, and well I should be careful of these saddle bags for in 
them were $12,000 in $20 gold pieces, which Captain Hays 
was bringing with him to buy cattle and stock the homestead 
which he proposed preempting when the Golden West was 
reached. 

"Well, before the train reached The Dalles, which was 
our destination, I became infatuated with the appearance of 
the Grande Rounde valley and persuaded the captain to sell 
me a wagon-load of flour, bacon, sugar and coffee. I set a 
small 'A' tent up beside the road and soon disposed of the en- 
tire stock at quite advanced prices to the emigrants who came 
along the train and were running short of provisions. 

"I again joined Captain Hays at The Dalles and helped 
him drive a drove of cattle, v/hich he had purchased down 
the Columbia river, to the site of the City of Portland, although 
then but a settlement of a few log houses. 

"In the Spring of 1853, I came to 01.ympia, which was 
only a few years old. Did I come in a steam car? Did I 
come in an automobile, or even did I come in a dead ex wagou ? 
No, sir, Tom walked every step of the way from the Cowlitz 
landing, carried his blankets and worldly possessions and 
thought it but a pleasure jaunt. 

"When I got here there was just one white woman in 
Olympia." (Mr. Prather's memory probably failed him here 
for there were several women living here at that time, Mrs. 
George Barnes, ]\Irs. Alexander, Mrs. Rider, Lucy and Char- 
lotte Barnes, Mary Wood, Mrs. Pullen, afterward Mrs. R. H. 
Wood and several others who contemporaneous pioneers were 
enabled to remember). 

"There were about forty-five white men, and three chil- 
dren. I am sorry, but I have forgotten the woman's name. 
There was a big band of Indians camped on the west side, 
coming to this side in canoes for the purpose of bartering 
fish, oysters and berries for sugar, flour, bacon and calico. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES ,137 

"I especially remember John ]\Iiller Murphy among the 
white people I found upon my arrival in Olympia. He was 
then a fat, red-cheeked lad of probably ten years of age, liv- 
ing with his sister, JMrs. Barnes, and a favorite w^ith everybody. 

"The donation claims of Edmund Sylvester, Edwin Marsh 
and James Swan covered all that portion of the territory which 
is now known as Olj'mpia, East Bay avenue and the East side. 
Old timers still refer to Swantown and Marshville in speaking 
of these sections. 

"Charles Weed was the baker for the settlement and the 
bread he turned out of shorts was considered a great luxury 
by me. Of course, when a sailing vessel would come in from 
San Francisco there would be some white flour, which was 
eagerly bought up by the storekeeper, George Barnes and 
Weed, but there was never enough to last till the next ship 
arrived. Hov/ever, the store of clams was inexhaustible and 
the settlers were beginning to raise potatoes and garden truck, 
and once in a while a steer was killed, so we had fresh beef 
occasionally, and there was plenty of the best fish in the world, 
but clams and hard tack were the staples of life. 

"In those days the newspapers came from San Francisco 
about every six months, so we w^ere always a half year be- 
hind the happenings of the outside world. It was considered 
quite an event when finally a mail route was established and 
we got our papers only three months behind date of publica- 
tion. My first work upon arrival in Olympia w^as logging 
for Captain Percival, up the creek, w^hich even then, and still, 
bears the name of this noted pioneer sea captain. After spend- 
ing a few weeks at this work winter set in and the camp closed 
down. George Barnes then offered me $100 for clearing the 
block of land he had recently acquired, bounded by Fourth, 
Fifth, Adams and Jefferson Streets, which was for so 
many years the Barnes home, and which is now, so it is said, 
to be the site of the new railroad depot. As this piece of 
ground was then covered with high cedar trees and part of 
it submerged by the high tides, I refused the offer and spent 
the winter with a small crew of men slashing thirty-five acres 
of forest land for Nathan Eaton, nine miles from town, out on 
Chambers' Prairie. 

"As soon as Spring arrived I took a job as axman and 



138 THURSTON COUNTY 

helped make the first survey of an airline from Portland to 
Piiget Sound. I stayed with this surveying part}' two years, 
when the Indian war broke out — in 1855. Then I quit sur- 
veying to volunteer under Judge Gilmore Hays, who was 
raising the first volunteer company in the territory. 

"The call for volunteers was made by Acting Governor 
Charles H. Mason, as Governor I. I. Stevens was at that time 
in the Blackfoot country, trying to make treaties with the 
Indians there. 

"This was in 1855, and our company comprised SO volun- 
teers. We were mustered in at Fort Steilacoom, Judge Hays 
being commissioned captain. Our company was then sent 
east of the mountains, as it was there that all the trouble 
with the Indians was reported, the Puget Sound, or "Fish" 
Indians, as they were called, being apparently friendly to the 
whites. 

"But we had no more than crossed the mountains than 
along comes Bill Tidd, the pony express rider, with a message 
from Acting Governor Mason to the effect that Col. Steptoe. 
in command of the United States troops, was surrounded at 
Walla Walla by 1,000 Indians and that the Puget Sound In- 
dians were also on the warpath. We were to hasten back to 
protect the settlers in the White River country. Returning to 
this side of the mountains, through the Natchez Pass, we 
camped for the night at Connell's Prairie, just about where 
the interurban line traverses the White River valley. In the 
morning Captain Hays detailed me and four other men to 
guard the supplies and wnth the rest of the company, which 
had now been increased in numbers by the addition of Lieu- 
tenant Slaughter and twenty soldiers from the United States 
troops, started to ford the White River to battle with the In- 
dians. As the men plunged into the river, the Indians, con- 
cealed along the banks on the far side, opened fire and about 
a dozen of our men were killed, after which the Indians re- 
treated through the jungle. As they carried their dead and 
wounded with them, we had no means of knowing how many 
of the enemy our men picked off, but from blood prints along 
the train they certainly met with a considerable loss. 

"Captain Hays and his men came back to the camp for 
the night, and in the morning, each man taking one day's 
rations with him, we started after the Indians along a trail 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 139 

SO wild and narrow that we had to go single file most all the 
way. We could hear the Indians not far ahead of us — their 
ponies crashing through the brush and dogs yelping. In this 
way we came to a branch of Stuck river, I think it must have 
been. The Indians were not in sight, but it was expected they 
were ambushed on the other side of the river. Captain Hays 
called for volunteers to wade across the river and draw the 
Indians' fire, if indeed they were hiding in the brush. After a 
moment's hard thinking I said: 'Yes, Captain Plays, I'll go.' 
Then Lieutenant Slaughter, William Billings, Joe Gibson and 
Joe Brannon joined me. 

"When I stepped into the water I went in over my waist 
into a chuck hole made by the Indian horses. My blunderbuss 
got wet, but I held it over my head the rest of the way across 
the river. Every step I expected the next instant would be my 
last, but we reached the far shore in safety and were joined 
by the rest of the company. The boys began firing wildly into 
the brush, but as I didn't see anj^thing to shoot at. I saved my 
bullets and waited before firing. So it came about that I was 
never really in an Indian fight, for after crossing the river the 
trail grew so bad that Captain Hays decided we had better 
return to Montgomery's, a Hudson Bay man's place, and wait 
further orders. Soon after this the entire company was or- 
dered to Mound Prairie, near Tilley's ranch, for winter 
quarters. 

"At this time Captain Hays was made Major General of 
the united companies of the volunteers of the territory, but as 
the time for which I had enlisted had expired and the war was 
practically in the hands of the regular troops, I was honorably 
discharged and did not re-enlist. 

"My next venture upon returning to Olympia after my 
discharge was to join Captain J. G. Parker for a trip to Vic- 
toria, B. C. Captain Parker had sent to San Francisco for a 
tiny steamboat, which was loaded on a sailing vessel and landed 
at the Etheridge & Miller sawmill, a mile below Priest's 
Point, and there fitted up for the sea. This small craft was the 
very first steamboat on Puget Sound. Captain Parker named 
her 'The Traveler,' and as soon as she was fitted up put her 
under charter of the United States government to bring mili- 
tary supplies from Victoria, for which the government was to 
pay $50 a day. 



14b THURSTON COUNTY 

"I was made mate of the crew, and, of course, Parker was 
captain. Soon after leaving Port Townsend, which then the 
only port of entry, the engine gave a fearful screech and went 
dead. There we were, out of sight of land, no canoe or other 
means of leaving the boat, the waves of the Straits of Juan de 
Fuca all but rolling over us, helpless, and at the mercy of wind 
and tide. Then and there I made a vow that if ever I reached 
land again no more sea life for Tom. But in the morning 
we were sighted by a sailing vessel, the Potter, and towed into 
Victoria harbor. There we found that the boiler had split 
in two places which had allowed all the steam to escape. 

"We got the boiler repaired, loaded and was about to 
start on our return trip when there passed by our boat an 
Indian brave with a big canoe in which were his squaw and 
pappooses. I hailed the buck and in Chinook asked him, 
'Where go?' 'Townsend,' he replied. So I told him I would 
tow his canoe and give him and his family passage on our big 
canoe to Port Townsend. He was tickled at the chance and 
I was tickled, too. I didn't want to go drifting around those 
waters again without some kind of a boat on board. 

"This ended my steamboating, although Captain Parker 
made several other trips on the Traveler, which finally sank 
near Port Townsend, where for years the top of her smoke- 
stack could be seen at low tide, although she finally slipped 
off into deeper waters and the exact spot of her grave is not 
known at this day. 

"I then went back to surveying, and in 1858, helped lo- 
cate the military road from Fort Steilacoom to Fort Belling- 
ham. I am the man who drove the first stake in a preliminary 
survey of the Northern Pacific Railroad, under supervision of 
Jared S. Hurd. This was near Snoqualmie Falls, in King 
County. About this time I acquired the lot of land on Wash- 
ington Street, which for so many years was known as the 
Prather home. 

"For twelve years I was county commissioner, which is 
the only public office I have ever held. I think I may state, 
without undue boasting, that it was largely through my ef- 
forts that Thurston County received the $150,000 from the 
sale of public lands to build the county court house, the same 
building which is now the state eapitol building, having been 
purchased by the state about fifteen years ago. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 



141 



"In the early seventies I became a guard at the asylum 
for insane at Steilacoom and took my third trip East in 187G, 
to attend the Philadelphia exposition. Soon after my return 
to Washington I was married at Steilacoom to Miss Agnes 
Winsor, who was also an attendant at the asylum, although 
for the twelve previous years had been teaching school. To 
us were born three children, Edith and her twin brother, who 
died in infancy, and my son Samuel. Edith is now Mrs. Wal- 
ter C. Thompson, and lives in the Puyallup valley, and my 
son is in Alaska." 



142 THURSTON COUNTY 



WM. H. MITCHELL 



The following biographical sketch of Mr. Wm. H. iMitchell, 
one of our most respected citizens, was typewritten by his 
son, A. B. Mitchell, who is wholly blind, and is so crippled 
from rheumatism that he cannot walk or care for himself. 
This is a remarkable verification of the fact often noted that 
the loss of any one of the five senses renders more acute the 
others. In this, the sense of touch or feeling has produced a 
manuscript that is the equal of most experts on the machine. 
It is, therefore, published verbatim : 

"I was born in Chicago, 111., NoveniDer 13, 1834, and a 
few years later moved with my parents to what was then 
South Port, Wisconsin. The name has, however, since been 
changed to Kenosha. When I had reached the age of 18, I 
had contracted a severe case of Oregon fever and had made 
up my mind to take the long trip across the plains, my ob- 
jective point being Olympia. My parents objected at first to 
my going, but later acquiesced and assisted me in preparing 
for the trip. Accordingly, arrangements were made with 
Samuel Holmes for me to travel with his family as they were 
leaving that Spring for the same part of the country to which 
I wished to go. A horse was also provided for me to ride and 
on the 9th of April, 1853, we left South Port and traveled 
about nine miles that day, and on the next day, Sunday, my 
father and mother, with my sister Eliza, drove out with a 
horse and buggy and overtook our slower moving ox team. 
They took dinner with us there at the beginning of our long 
journey. They then returned home while we once more turned 
our faces to the setting sun. 

"The trail across Iowa was a slow and tiresome one on 
account of the soft condition of the roads, the wagons often 
going down to the hubs in the mud. There were plenty of 
others, however, like ourselves, making for Council Bluffs, and 
there would often be quite a train of us. We were generally 




WM. H. MITCHELL 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 143 

delayed in the mornings. I remember ]\Irs. Holmes, Avho 
would still insist on bathing her children every morning. She 
found this to be impossible later on, however. Council Bluffs 
was at that time a central point, where the emigrants got to- 
gether and formed their wagons into trains for the trip across 
the plains, and here could be found all types of the frontier 
life mingled together. It was here that a three-card monte 
man relieved me of nearly all the money that 1 had. This was 
a serious loss to me, but I think I profited by the experience. 

"We crossed the Missouri River, June the third. Our 
train, consisting of about twenty wagons, was well organized,, 
having a captain and train master. Our course now led up the 
north bank of the Platte River and there was no sign of hu- 
man habitation to be seen anywhere. We met a trader ocea- 
sionally, sometimes on horseback and sometimes they would 
have a tent stretched beside the road with their goods dis- 
played in front, but as they charged so much for everything 
they had to sell no one purchased of them until compelled to 
do so by sheer necessity. There were also bridges built over 
some of the rivers and at such places there would be one of 
these men to collect a toll before allowing you to pass over 
the bridge. There were a few Indians also, but they were 
not hostile at that time and never attacked us. We also saw 
quite a few buffalo and at one time it was necessary for us to 
open up our train that a herd of them might go through, oth- 
erwise they would have run right over us. I presume there 
must have been a thousand buffalo in that herd. It was in 
this section of the country that we encountered a severe thun- 
der storm in which the tent where Mr. and Mrs. Holmes were 
sleeping was blown down and they were forced to come into 
the wagon where I was, to get away from the rain. We ar- 
rived at Fort Kearney on July 4th, having traveled a little 
over a thousand miles since crossing the Missouri River. 

"We now began to see more signs of the hardships to 
which those that had preceded us had been subjected, as the 
trail was strewn with deserted wagons and stoves, in fact. 
with everything that could be spared to make the load lighter 
and everywhere was to be seen the bleached bones of cattle 
that had either died or had been killed for food. The Indians 
were also more watchful. On one occasion two young men of 
our train, thinking they could get along faster on foot, started 



144 THURSTON COUNTY 

on ahead one morning and that afternoon we came upon them. 
The Indians had killed one and the other was so badly wounded 
that he died soon after. We buried him in his blankets beside 
the trail on the bank of the Snake River and the next day we 
were overtaken by another train and they told lis that the 
Indians had dug him up and taken his blankets and left his 
body on top of the ground. I have often wondered since, 
though I thought nothing of it at the time, why they never 
picked me off, as I was in the habit of riding ahead of the train 
and after fastening my horse to my wrist, I would lie down and 
wait for the train to come up. The only time that I was shot, 
however, was accidental. I was stooping down to get a drink 
from a river when my revolver slipped from its holster and 
was discharged, the ball lodging in my right forearm. It was 
removed by one of the men wnth- his pocket knife, this being 
the best medical instrument to be had. The Indians were 
around us and we would often see their camp fires at night 
in the foothills surrounding our camp. 

"We crossed the Snake River by caulking our wagon 
boxes with rags and using them to ferry the women and chil- 
dren across while the cattle were made to swim. Our stock of 
provisions becoming depleted, Mr. Holmes was compelled to 
buy from a trader at La Grande, Oregon. It was at this place 
that one of the men of our train had his wife stolen by the 
trader. I remember hearing him calling through the camp 
for her, but she had gone and taken the youngest child with 
her and he did not find her. 

"At Fort Walla Walla our train divided, part going down 
the Columbia River while the rest of us went on north and 
through the Natchez pass in the Cascade mountains. When 
we arrived at the foot of the mountains we sent two men for- 
ward to see if we could get over and they returned, reporting 
too much snow for the wagons, so it was decided to leave our 
outfits at a Catholic mission that was there and proceed on 
foot, letting the w^omen ride whatever there was to ride. 

"Mr. Wooden and myself were the first to start over the 
pass and we found the way not nearly as bad as had been 
represented and by taking advantage of cut-offs, we made 
very good progress and without misadventure until the last 
night in the mountains we became separated. Mr. Wooden 
took what he thought to be a cut-off while I stayed on the 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 145 

trail, and, at night, as he did not rejoin me, I called him but 
received no answer. So I went to sleep at the foot of a tree 
and the next morning when I awoke I found that I had rolled 
several feet down the mountain from where I went to sleep and 
it was raining hard, so after stretching a piece of canvas over 
some brush to keep the rain off, I built a fire and was cooking 
the last of my store of rice when Mr. Wooden came into my 
camp. We ate the rice that I had prepared and started on our 
way again, and that afternoon met a Mr. Connel, who gave us 
a little flour which we cooked on the end of sticks and ate. 
Mr. Connel was a very good friend to the emigrants and often 
helped them with provisions, as he had a cabin on the west 
side of the mountains, on what is now Connel's prairie. He 
was killed by the Indians in the uprising of 1855-6. We took 
supper at his house and then, after hiring horses from some 
friendly Indians, pushed on to Fort Steilacoom. I reiuained 
there but a short time, however, but went in a canoe with a 
Mr. Skidmore to Mud Bay, where I expected to go to work 
in his logging camp, but this I did not do, but went w^th him 
the next day in a canoe to Olympia, arriving there on the 6th 
of October. 

"My first job, after arriving in Olympia, was to split and 
carry in a load of wood for J. J. Westbrook, who ran a saloon 
on the east side of Main street between Second and Third. 
After that I worked at whatever I could get to do. I joined 
the volunteers to fight the Indians in the uprising of 1855-6. 
serving but twenty-one days, when we mustered out. After 
this I was deputy sheriff under Isaac Hays. 

"In 1856 I went into business with John Stewart. I was 
tending bar at the time for Mr. Westbrook and Stewart asked 
me if I wanted to go into business, to which I replied that J 
did. but that I had very little money. John, however, said he 
would speak to Mr. Hurd, who wanted to sell his baker shop, 
and Mr. Hurd agreed to give us time to pay for the business, 
so we bought him out and John, being a baker, took charge of 
that part of the business, while I did the best I could by tend- 
ing the butcher shop, which we had also. The first year we 
cleared enough to pay what we owed and also to buy the two- 
story building which is still standing on the southwest corner 
of Third and Main streets. 

"Perhaps it would be well for me to sa}^ a word about the 



146 



THURSTON COUNTY 



rest of those who were in our train when we crossed the Cas- 
cade mountains. i\Ir. Holmes and his family settled near 
Olympia. Bird Wright and his two brothers, with their fam- 
ilies, located in the Puyallup valley, as did a Mr. Morrison, 
who was a minister. Mr. Wooden went first to the Nisqually, 
but later moved to Seattle, where he started the first tannery. 
His son-in-law, a Mr. Schoek, also settled a few miles out from 
Seattle. Mr. B. L. Johns, with his eight children, one of whom 
afterward became my wife, located a claim on White Kiver, 
near Seattle. Mr. Livingston settled in Seattle, while his tv/o 
daughters, one of whom married Will H. Brannon, located near 
White River. Mr. and Mrs. Brannon, with their children, were 
killed by the Indians, and Joe Brannon, Will's brother, after 
the war, came to Olympia. 

"On the 13th of April, 1859, I was married to Martha T. 
Johns, in Olympia. To this union, five children were born, 
William Walter was born Feb. 29, 1860, and died about eight 
months later. Frank Wellington was born July 4, 1862, Henry 
William, July 30, 1865, Cora Edith born July 7, 1867, and 
Albert Bennett, born Aug. 7, 1870. There are also living nine 
grandchildren. 

"My son, Frank W.. died on March 19, 1914, in Portland. 
Oregon. My daughter, Cora Edith, is now Mrs. A. L. Young 
of San Francisco, California." 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 147 



ANDREW CHAMBERS 



Had the pioneers who built up this country, and through 
whose labor and enterprise Washington has grown from a 
beautiful wilderness into a land of homes and cultural ad- 
vantages, only taken the time and trouble to write down the 
history of their early trials, adventures and hardships, and — 
in many instances — final success, as did Andrew Chambers 
and his wife, Margaret White Chambers, the work of com- 
piling these reminiscences would have been reduced to the 
mere collection of the sketches and presenting them in book 
form. But too often, although these men and women realized 
their experiences were unique in the history of the world, 
and the days they might tell of were a closed chapter in 
history which could never be repeated, owing to the march 
of civilization, the task of actually writing down any record 
of events seemed too formidable or were put off to a later 
time — which time never came. 

But the children of the honored couple whose stories are 
given in connection with this article, were insistent with their 
parents, and aided them in every way possible to put their 
reminiscences in lasting form. Well they did so, too, for now 
both Mr. and Mrs. Chambers are gone to their last rest, leav- 
ing only cherished memories. 

The histories give a completer and more vivid descrip- 
tion of the life of those days than would be possible to ob- 
tain in any other way. Of a high order of intelligence and 
with a natural eloquence, the writers of the sketches were en- 
abled to I 'esent the pictures of those wild days with a charm 
and clearness that no words of the writer could add to, so 
the reminiscences of ]\Ir. and i\Irs. Chambers are given word 
for word as they have written them. 

Mrs. Chambers dictated her sketch to her youngest 
daughter, Nora, and the other daughters were so pleased wjth 
their mother's story that they had it preserved in the form 
of a booklet. 



148 THURSTON COUNTY 

The ten daughters of whom the mother speaks of so lov- 
ingly, were: Elizabeth, now INIrs. J. H. Hnnsaker. of Everett; 
Eliza, now Mrs. R. T. Grainger, of Puyallup; Addie J., now 
Mrs. G. N. Talcott of Olympia; Ella, who was Mrs. II. Ray- 
mond, but who has been dead for many years ; Rheta, now 
Mrs. C. L. Denny of Seattle ; Selma, who died about ten years 
ago ; Margaret, now Mrs. Wm. Calhoun, of Seattle ; Estelle 
and Edith, both of whom died in infancy, and Nora, now Mrs. 
W. T. Hoskins, living at present in Sacramento. 

Mr. Chambers realized the wishes of his wife as expressed 
by herself, and ended a long and honorable career by passing 
av/ay peacefully in the old home on Chambers' Prairie. He 
died in April, 1908. Margaret White Chambers survived her 
beloved husband a few years longer, but sank to rest in De- 
cember, 1912. Husband and wife sleep side bj^ side near the 
scenes of their many trials, joys and sorrows, in the family 
plot in Masonic cemetery, near Olympia. 



Andrew Chambers' Story 

My father's reading Lewis and Clark's Journal was the 
means of our crossing the plains. We started the first ox 
April, 1845. Our company consisted of my father, Thomas M. 
Chambers, mother, Letitia Chambers, five brothers, James W., 
David J., Thomas J., Andrew J. (myself), John and McLain, 
and two sisters, Mary Jane and Letitia. My brothers, James 
and David, w^ere married, and their wives, Mary and Eliza- 
beth, accompanied them. We started from Morgan County, 
Missouri, and crossed the Missouri River on a ferry at St. 
Joe. This place marked the last of the settlements. From 
this point we travelled the old emigrant road up the Platte 
River. Our journey led us through what are now the states 
of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and 
Washington. Then this was a wilderness with only the old 
tracks of emigrants that had passed that way in 1834-5. We 
crossed the Kaw River about forty miles from St. Joe on a 
ferry; after that we forded all the streams to which we came. 
The first day that we saw buffalo was on the South Platte 
River and it was buffalo as far as the eye could reach. We 




ANDREW CHAMBERS AND WIFE 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 149 

camped and killed fifteen that evening. It took two days to 
jerk all the meat we wanted. 

Buffalo and antelope were plentiful for twelve or fifteen 
hundred miles. Hunters sometimes put a handkerchief up on 
a stick and the antelope came around to see what it w^as, and 
often we killed them by shooting from the wagons. We had 
to go out to the edge of the hills to hunt buffalo, except the 
first day we saw them, of which I have spoken. 

Opposite Ash Hollow we crossed the Platte River, which, 
though wide and shallow, was difficult to ford on account of 
the quicksands. We passed near to Chimney Rock, which rose 
like a great chimney from the level country. We could see this 
land mark for a number of days and passed it within five or 
six miles. 

At Fort Laramie, on the North Platte River, measles br )ke 
out in our family and we had to lay by fifteen days. We had 
overtaken other west-bound wagons on our journey and our 
party now comprised thirty wagons. While being detained 
here about one thousand wagons passed us and most of our 
company joined a party and left us at Laramie. 

From Fort Laramie we traveled to Fort Hall, in Idaho. 
We had tried travelling with large and with small companies 
and found that we got on much faster with small companies, 
but it was very hard to stand guard with only a few in the 
party.. We fell in with a company of fifty wagons. Their 
teams had been scared by the Indians and had got in the habit 
of stampeding'. They stampeded one day while we were with 
them. It was a terrible sight to see fifty teams running, each 
team of three or four yoke of oxen — about three yoke of cattle 
was an average team. There was no way of holding them ex- 
cept to hang on to the yokes and call to the cattle. It was an 
anxious time for the women and children in the w^agons. One 
ox fell and broke his neck. This was the last day we travelled 
with them. After leaving Fort Laramie we had fallen in with 
the wagons of what remained of our old company. This was 
all that saved us from the stampede on that day. 

This event recalls the first Indians we saw. Father was 
captain of the company. He ordered the wagons into two 
lines, the women and children to stay in the wagons, except 
those able to carry guns. I can recollect seeing mother march- 
ing along carrying a rifle. All the horses and cattle were 



150 THURSTON COUNTY 

driven into the enclosure made by the wagons to protect them 
from stampeding. We never stopped, but marched along in 
two lines, with the wagons and the horses and cattle between 
them. Father stepped out to meet the chief, who was com- 
ing towards us. The Indians seemed friendly, but wanted to- 
bacco. As soon as father gave one tobacco another would step 
up and say "Me big Chief, too." Father gave them all that 
he had in his pouch. There was a large camp of the Indians 
and it appeared that this was a war party and that they had 
been out to fight other Indians. They were now on their way 
home. 

On much of our way, wood was very scarce. We always 
sent a party ahead of us to find wood, grass and water. We 
found buffalo chips plentiful for at least a thousand miles and 
often we had to use them altogether for fuel. On the Sweet- 
w^ater, in W.yoming, we caught a great many nice fish. 

From Fort Hall, we travelled to Fort Bridgers, which 
was about 200 miles north of Salt Lake. A man by the name 
of Bridgers w^as located here and carried on trade with the 
emigrants and with the Indians. From here we went to Sal- 
mon Falls on the Snake River, and here w^e met a few Indians, 
but they were friendly. Until we crossed the Rockies through 
the Devil's Gate, w^e travelled up hill and up stream, but after 
we crossed the Snake River, the waters flowed westward, and 
we could almost see where the divide came. 

From Salmon Falls we travelled two or three days down 
the river before we crossed. We found a place where there was 
an island in the river. We crossed to the island first and then 
w^ent diagonally across the rest of the river, which was about 
three-fourths of a mile wide. We always took horses and rode 
across the rivers we had to ford and found out exactly where 
the wagons ought to go. The fords were always thoroughly 
prospected before the teams wei:e driven into the water. We 
found at this crossing the deepest part was eight or ten feet 
wide, and deep enough to swim the cattle, the rest of it aver- 
aged about two feet deep. We blocked up the wagon beds as 
high as the standards would allow to keep our goods dry and 
hitched on ten or twelve yoke of cattle to the first wagon. The 
other wagons were fastened together, one behind the other. 
There was a chain attached to the tongue of the wagon follow- 
ing and that in turn to the hind axle tree of the forward 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 151 

wagon. The drivers went to the lower side of their teams to 
keep the cattle braced up against the current and to keep 
the direction slantingly up stream. They had to hold on to 
the bows of the yokes to keep themselves braced up, too. By 
the time all the teams v/ere in the water, the lead teams were 
in shallow water and we were finally safely over, Avithout wet- 
ting any of our goods. 

Shortly after this our oxen began to give out. We be- 
came uneasy for fear we could not travel across the mountains. 
which were before us, on account of snow. To be caught on 
the east side of the mountains meant almost certain death. We 
began to break in the cows. We started across the plainr,' 
with about twenty milk cows. By the time we reached Tho 
Dalles, in Oregon, we had about all the cows broken in. They 
were lighter on their feet and travelled much better than the 
oxen. We didn't know at that time that we could have saved 
our catties' feet by providing ourselves with shoes and nails 
before leaving the States. 

Three or four days before we came to Fort Boise, we were 
camped on a creek and when supper was ready and each one 
had set down to his place on the ground, an Indian, standing 
there, knelt down at the place intended for a man named 
Smith. As soon as Smith finished washing himself, he knocked 
the man over with a stick and took the place himself. Sticks 
which the Indians had used for digging roots or for some other 
purpose, were lying around plentifully. The Indians looked 
very sullen after this, and next morning one of our horses was 
gone — stolen. We travelled on as though nothing had hap- 
pended for two days and came to a place where we thought 
it advisable to rest the cattle for a day, there being good grass 
and water there. James Chambers, Smith and myself con- 
cluded to ride back that evening to the place where we had 
lost the horse, and it might be we would find an Indian camp 
and do something terrible. Smith wanted to kill an Indian. 
We rode all night and when we reached the place another 
party of emigrants were camping there and we found an In- 
dian there, riding on the horse which was stolen. Smith felt 
all the time tha/t his act had been the cause of our losing the 
animal and he was very anxious to straighten things out by 
killing an Indian. Brother James went around the camp one 
way and I, another. I came upon the Indian on the horse and 



152 THURSTON COUNTY 

I caught the horse. Immediately Smith insisted on shootins;: 
the Indian, but some of the campers interfered. They con- 
tended that we were out of the way and that if we killed the 
Indian his friends would come and take revenge on them. They 
also argued that this, maybe, was not the Indian that stole 
the horse and they urged us to make the women in camp feel 
easy by releasing the Indian. After considering for some time 
we decided to let the Indian go and give him something to re- 
compense him for being nearly scared to death. He was so 
badlj^ frightened that great drops of sweat came out on his 
face. The next thing to consider was what to give the Indian. 
As it was coming on to the fall of the year, mother had sup- 
plied us well with shirts. I had enough to last me two years 
and I had on two at this time. They agreed that I must pull 
oil one of my shirts and give it to the Indian. So I did, and 
all parties concerned, except myself, were well pleased, the In- 
dian most of all. 

From Boise we travelled to Grande Rounde and after we 
passed the valley and came down off the Blue mountains into 
the Umatilla valley we saw lots of Indians. Mary Jane, my 
sister, was then a comely girl, about sixteen years of age. In- 
dian chiefs offered my father fifty horses and a hundred blan- 
kets for her. They didn't care whether the girl was willing 
or not. They wanted a white "klootchman." This was their 
custom, to pay for their "klootchman." ]\Iary Jane was 
frightened and she never showed herself when the Indians 
were around. 

"When we were within a few da^'s' journey of The Dalles, 
and after we had crossed the Des Chutes River, two horses 
were stolen from us. AVe went back from Fifteen IMile Creek 
to a village near by and called on the Chief. He said he would 
have the Indians bring in the horses. We waited about his tent, 
keeping guard, until an Indian came in with the horses. They 
claimed that the horses had been stolen by some bad Indians 
and that a good Indian brought them back and that he ought 
to have pay for it. \¥e had become accustomed to paying, so 
we were prepared to give a shirt. This satisfied them. 

Our trip had not been a pleasure trip, for from the time 
we left St. Joe each one of us had to stand guard about once 
a week and from the time we left Fort Boise each one had to 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 153 

stand guard half the night every other night and after hav- 
ing had measles, this was no fun. 

On October 15 we arrived at The Dalles. On account of 
the lateness of the season, we selected a place for winter quar- 
ters. This was on a creek about two miles from the Methodist 
Mission. 

Here in November, we built huts for the family and large 
corrals of logs in which to keep the horses for their safety at 
night. We watched them during the day. Our cattle were at 
large. We looked after them to prevent their straying too far. 
We drove them together several times each day. Several par- 
ties left their stock in our care during the winter. 

As soon as the family was in its winter quarters, father 
and I went down the Columbia River and up the Willamette 
River for a winter's supply of flour. This was about the 20th 
of November. At Oregon City we bought a skiff and about 
1.000 pounds of flour. A young man by the name of Scrog- 
gins and myself, started out to take the flour to the farail.v. 

Father stayed down the Willamette in Tulatin plains all 
winter, looking for a place in which to locate. When we 
reached The Dalles, James and his wife left their stock with 
us. their oxen had given out, and went on and father remained 
with James and his wife until Spring. 

Scroggins and I started with plenty of provisions for our 
trip, which we calculated would be about seven days. On ac- 
count of stormy weather, we were seventeen days. Below Cape 
Horn on the Columbia River, we had to lay by in one place 
for two days. Cape Horn is a rocky spur of the Cascade range, 
two or three hundred feet high and almost perpendicular. 

This was the hardest seventeen days' work I ever did. It 
stormed almost all the time. We had the flour in sacks of 100 
pounds each and we loaded and unloaded these sacks some- 
times as high as eight or ten times a day. The wind would stop 
blowing for a time and by the time we got loaded and ready to 
start it would begin again and we would be obliged to unload, 
the river was so rough we did not dare to risk becoming 
swamped with our heavy load. The wind blew either up stream 
or down stream. The family needed the flour badly, and we 
were anxious to get to them with it. Some days we would not 
go over a mile after working hard all day and then the wind 
would apparently abate, when we could not avail ourselves of 



154 THURSTON COUNTY 

the calm. Our supply of provisions were soon about all used 
up except the flour. Flour and water, without even salt, was 
not very good to keep up our spirits, as well as strength. We 
mixed the flour and water together in the top of a sack and 
made the dough into long strings, which we wrapped about a 
stick. We set the stick by the fire and baked the dough, which 
tasted pretty good after a hard day's work. We varied this 
with noodle soup made of water and flour. We were three days 
making the five miles of rapids and seven miles of portage. The 
last day on the rapids our boat took a sheer and the one on 
shore had to pull so hard against the current that the boat filled 
with water. In the face of this calamity I thought the family 
would starve. I was twenty years of age but in my anxiety, 
I cried. This was the first, last and only time I cried while 
crossing the plains. 

We finally got the boat to a safe place and baled it out. 
We were sure the flour was ruined. We took the sacks out 
and let the water drain off, reloaded and proceeded on our 
journey. 

That night we built a fire and dried the sacks and found 
that the flour was not much hurt. We were lucky to find two 
white men and three Indians to help us carry our boat over 
the portage. Four days of travel up the river brought us to 
our winter home. We found all well and anxious for our 
return. 

As I have said, father remained down the Willamette the 
winter of 1845, with Brother James and wife, looking for a 
place, and the middle of January, 1846, he and James came 
back to The Dalles to help build a boat to move us. There 
were plenty of boats then on the Willamette for emigrants 
who wanted to pass on down to the valley, but a very short 
time after we arrived at The Dalles they had all been taken 
off for the winter. 

James was a boat builder. We selected a place close to 
the river to build our boat, where there was good timber. We 
chose tAvo large trees for the purpose of making gunwales, the 
trees being about three feet in diameter. Then we picked out 
(Smaller trees for making the plank. We hewed out the timber 
the proper length and squared it. This we lined on both sides 
the thickness we wanted to make our planks. We chose a 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 155 

jAace on a side hill to make a saw pit. It was so arranged 
that one man could stand underneath the log and one man on 
top of it. Then the squared logs were put in place and we 
ripped out enough plank for a bottom and a false bottom and 
for the sides of the boat. We used the old whip saw which is 
now on exhibition in the Oregon Historical rooms at Portland. 

This old whip saw told its own story, when in 1894, a gen- 
tleman asked it to tell of its adventures : 

"I started for Puget Sound from Missouri in 1845 and. 
after passing through the trials and incidents of an overland 
journey of six months, reached The Dalles Oregon, where, 
with the assistance of four men, I sawed timber enough to con- 
struct a boat 16 feet long and fifty feet wide. On February 
1, 1846, the boat was loaded witli myself among the passengers 
and we moved down the Columbia to the Cascades. At the 
Cascades I took passage in a wagon around a five mile port- 
acre. Onr boat was the first boat ever sent over the Cascade 
Falls. The craft was secured and proceeded to the mouth of 
Sandy River. From that point my travels varied, sometimes 
by land and sometimes by water, up one stream and down 
another. Finally, in the Spring of 1848, I reached Puget 
Sound, after a tedious journey behind an ox team. In the 
three years of my travels my master alM'ays found me of ser- 
vice. But during fortj'-seven years, after I reached what was 
to be my home, I remained undisturbed and unthought of in 
.my master's tool house on Chambers Prairie. On April 26, 
1894, the flames destroyed mj^ home and I was ruined and de- 
faced almost beyond recognition." 

We had no nails and the boat was put together entirely 
with wooden pins. It resembled a scow of today. Its capacity 
was large enough to carry fifteen head of cattle at a time in 
crossing a river and to store all of our wagons when they were 
taken apart, and all of our plunder that we had brought with 
us across the plains, as well as those members of the family 
who were not on shore driving the cattle. 

When we got the boat ready and launched we loaded 
our effects, wagons and plunder and all the ox yokes and 
proceeded on down the Columbia River. When we collected 
the stock to make the start our cattle were in good condition. 
The snow rarely stayed on the ground on the southern slopes 
of the hills and the cattle had opportunity to do well. But 



156 THURSTON COUNTY 

not so with the horses. The Indians had managed to steal 
most of them during foggy weather when it was pretty hard 
work to guide them. We did not have more than three out 
of a lot of horses whose manes and tails had not been cut 
off. The mutilated animals looked horrible to us. There 
was always some "good Indian" to help me hunt the stolen 
horses. It appeared the Indians did not want the horses except 
to have a big ride on them and get their manes and tails. 
They made ropes out of the hair. 

Our boat had long oars and when Ave started two met 
attended to these. Brother James usually steered the boat 
and Father and David were ashore most of the time. We let 
the boat run with the current as great a distance each day 
as we could drive the cattle. Then we tied up and resumed 
our course next morning. We travelled on the north side 
down the river bottom until we came to Shell Rock, a place 
where the hills came right up to the river's edge. We could 
not drive over this rock, neither could we swim our cattle 
around it. Consequently we were obliged to ferry all our 
effects, and the cattle, to the north side, and travelled down 
that side until we came to the Cascade Falls. At this point 
we unloaded our Avagons. put them together and loaded our 
plunder into them, hitched on the teams and started out to 
make our Avay to the lower end of the Falls. 

Everything had been removed from the boat and the sides 
boarded up. Brother James and tAvo men Avho Avere Avilling 
to take the risk, Avent aboard. James acted as captain and 
the other men stood at the oars. We had several small boats 
so Ave took her out in the river and gave her a start, heading 
her straight for the falls. She Avent over, shipping only a 
nominal number of gallons of Avater. It Avas in February that 
we made this run Avith the first flat bottomed boat ever to 
pass over these five miles of rocks and rapids. 

Having gotten safely over they returned, after tying up. 
to help us Avith the teams and stock. We had to blaze a trai] 
to go through and prospect a road. We were obliged to go 
back about a mile from the river and pass through an Indian 
graveyard. In this graveyard the dead Avere all buried in 
houses, and Ave had to drive carefully betAveen them. It was 
an ancient burying place, for the houses Avere all decaying. 
I think it could not have been used for many, many years. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 157 

After travelling about six miles "vve came again to the river 
just below the lower falls. We re-loaded the boat and pro- 
ceeded as before. The drivers took the cattle along by the 
river until we reached Cape liorn. Here we were obliged 
again to leave the river and travel out into the country and 
around this high promontory. We had to drive very slowly 
and it was hard work. On this trip we took a little flour. 
salt and enough bread to do us the first day out. After 
that we tied up the calves so that we could get milk enough 
to make noodle soup with milk, flour and salt. It was nearly 
three days before we reached the river again. At the mouth 
of Sandy River we found the scow and the folks waiting for 
us. Here we unloaded again and ferried our stock across 
to the southern side of the Columbia, at the mouth of the 
Sandy. From this point we drove the cattle across the country 
by Oregon City to Milk Creek, near Molalla, where father 
had selected a place for us. 

After ferrying the stock across at the mouth of the Sandy, 
we re-loaded the boat with our effects and ran down the 
Columbia to the Willamette and up the latter river to Oregon 
City. Here we sold the boat for $50. We put our plunder in 
the wagons and moved out to the place selected for our future 
homes, and set to work to build houses in which to live. 

The citizens of Oregon were of the opinion that Uncle 
Sam was slow in extending protection to his people on the 
Pacific Slope, and they formed a provisional government and 
elected Abernathy governor. The representatives passed laAvs 
saying that a married man and his wife could take up 640 
acres — a mile square — of land ; a young or single man, half 
that amount, and that this could be selected any place, so 
that it did not interfere with other claims. Wheat was made 
legal tender for small debts at one dollar a bushel. 

Oregon City, being located at the Falls on the Willamette 
River, the Hudson Bay Company had a flour mill and a store 
there. Up the Willamette, the old servants of the company 
had settled, and taken up a great many of the choice parts 
for fifty or sixty miles. One prairie, called "French Prairie," 
was settled by Canadian French, and most of the settlers had 
native wives. 

The first settlers here cut hazel brush and made withes 



158 THURSTON COUNTY 

M'ith which to bind their wheat. At this time the sickle and 
the reap hook were used. Then the cradle came into use and 
they learned to make bands of the wheat, oats, or other grain 
that was out. 

After putting in one Spring crop and garden in the 
JMolalla, we built a barn. I then went to Tualatin Plains, west 
of Oregon City, and stopped with Brother James and family. 
He had married a Mrs. Seoggins, who had a family of five 
children, three sons and two daughters. I, together Math these 
children, went to school for one term. The oldest son was 
one of my best friends, and it was he who helped me to take 
the flour up the Columbia to my folks. Tualatin Plains, 
twenty miles from Oregon City, was settled principally by 
Hudson Bay men, English and Scotch. This was a fine section 
of the country. Plenty of wheat was grown here, and new- 
comers could get plenty of work by taking pay in wheat, at 
one dollar a bushel. The wheat could be taken to Oregon 
City and sold to the company, and taken out in trade at the 
store, and a receipt would be given for the remainder. This 
receipt could be used in trading with other parties for any- 
thing wanted, and they, in turn, could go to the store and 
get goods and groceries with it. There was very little money 
in the country, so people were obliged to use wheat and these 
receipts as a means of conducting business transactions. The 
emigrants to this country had spent mostly all their money 
for outfits and a great many, even then, were very poorly 
provided for provisions for the trip. 

After school closed I stayed with my brother, James, and 
helped in the harvest. The barns were built of logs, two houses 
and a space of thirty feet between them, the roof including 
the three. The center was used for a threshing floor, aiid 
ten or twelve horses were used to tramp out the wheat. The 
farmers would furnish us horses and board and give us one 
bushel in ten to thresh out and fan the wheat, and. sometimes. 
they allow^ed us a team to take the wheat to market. While 
I was helping my brother that harvest, I did the threshing 
and my brother and Young Seoggins hauled in the sheaves. 
We threshed eighty or ninety bushels a day. 

One of the oldest settlers came to my brother and wanted 
help. James told him I could go and wanted to know how 
much he would pay me per day. The old settler said he would 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 159 

give me three pecks of wheat a clay. James told him I might 
remain at home and play, before I should work at that price. 
1 told my brother to make a contract with him to cut and 
shock his wheat, and Scoggins and I would do the work as 
soon as we finished James' crop. He made the contract at 
three bushels an acre and board. 

We went, and put in thirty acres for him. We put up three 
acres a day, and the old gentleman was highly pleased with 
our work. His wheat was getting very ripe and shattering 
out so that he proposed for us to cut and bind in the fore- 
noon and haul in the afternoon, and he would pay just the 
same per day for the hauling. That was nine bushels a day. 

It was hard for him to keep help. One harvest Avas all 
that help would stay with him. Some of his help told that he 
recommended to them to eat the peelings off of baked potatoes. 
He said it was healthy and helped to fill up. I think he was 
correct about its being good for the health, if he followed his 
oAvn advise, for he lived to be 104 years old. 

The Winter of 1846 we spent in looking for a new location, 
thinking to better ourselves. We went to the mouth of the 
Columbia River and looked over Clatsop Plains, then south 
to the Umpciua country, but we did not find anything to 
suit ns. 

Father said he had started for salt water, and so in the 
Spring of 1847, after we had put in the crops, we came over 
to Puget Sound to look at that portion of the country. We 
spent two months looking around. At Newmarket, the present 
site of Tumv:ater, at the falls of the Des Chutes River, we 
found ]\I. T. Simmons and family, and five or six other families 
and nine or ten young men. They had settled here in June, 
1845. They were putting up a sawmill. They already had a 
flour mill, a very small concern. The burrs Avere only eighteen 
inches in diameter and no bolting cloth was in use. Some of 
the families had sieves that were used to take out the coarse 
bran. 

At the present site of Olympia there was was only one 
man, by the name of Smith. His log cabin stood on the ground 
where the Huggins hotel is now. We finally staked out 
claims on what is now known as "Chambers Prairie." Then 
we returned to our homes in Oregon to make preparations to 
move to the Puget Sound region in the Fall. 



160 THURSTON COUNTY 

Early in the Fall of 1847, we hired two boats of Dr. 
McLoiighlin, and four Kanaka boat men. We loaded our 
effects, wagons, ox yokes and bedding, on the boats at Oregon 
City. We went down the Willamette to the Columbia River, 
down the Columbia to the mouth of the Cowlitz and yp the 
Cowlitz to Cowlitz Landing— thirty miles. 

It was fine boating until we came to the rapids on the 
Cowlitz Eiver. That was hard work and slow travelling. We 
had to use the tow line a great deal and go from one side of 
the river to the other to take advantage of the eddies and 
shallow waters, so that we could use the long poles and push 
the boats up the stream. Our boats were heavily laden and 
for about fifteen miles we used the poles and tow line, the 
water being too swift to use the oars. 

There was a great quantity of salmon in the river. We 
had all we wanted, and cooked it Indian fashion. This was to 
dress the fish, run a stick through it and place the stick in the 
ground close to the fire, and as the fish cooked, turn it so 
that it would bake evenly. We always left the scales on till it 
was cooked. After working hard all day, it was fine — we 
thought, delicious. 

We arrived at Cowlitz Landing after twenty days of 
travel, the only accident on the trip being the loss of a rifle, 
a considerable loss in those days, too. In making the trip to 
Cowlitz Landing, we started the hands with the stock, horses 
and cattle, to cross the Columbia. All were ferried over at 
Fort Vancouver; then they were driven down the river to 
Lewis River, where they were ferried over this stream, follow- 
ing down the Columbia to the mouth of the Cowlitz. They 
were then driven up the Cowlitz and swam across the south 
fork. When they reached the Cowlitz Landing, they swam 
the stock to the north side of the river and waited for the 
boats. This landing is at the lower end of Cowlitz Prairie, 
which prairie was settled by the Canadian French and is a 
fine farming country. The Hudson Bay Company and the 
Catholic Mission each had fine farms there. We rented twenty 
acres of land from the Catholic Mission and a like number 
of acres from John R. Jackson, and put in a crop of winter 
wheat. 

When the crop was in, we left the stock needed to haul 
our wagons to the prairie (Chambers), which we had selected 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 161 

for our future home, and started to drive the remainder of 
the stock through. We drove them over Mud Mountain, or 
Mud Hill — all the first settlers travelled this way, and we 
crossed the Des Chutes about two miles above Tumwater. 
There was an Indian trail from Bush Prairie to Chambers 
Prairie. 

Then we went back to Saunder's Bottom and com- 
pleted the wagon road around Mud Hill. This hill is east of 
Chehalis. There was one family living there at that time. We 
prospected and blazed out a road. We found trees on the banks 
of a creek that suited us for making a bridge. We built the 
bridge and cut out the wagon road through Saunder's Bottom — 
a distance of three miles. The creek's source was from Mud 
Mountain and the banks were steep and muddy and could not 
be crossed without a bridge. We then came to New Market, 
one of the first settlements at Tumwater. The men of this 
settlement turned out and all helped to cut a w^agon road to 
Chambers' Prairie, a distance of three and a half miles. The 
old settlers here were glad to see new comers and they were 
ready and willing to help us. What they had they were will- 
ing to share with us. They were much pleased when they 
learned that we had sieve wire, for they had no bolting cloth 
for their small grist mill. They thought it a fine thing to have 
sieve wire so they could take the bran out of their flour. On 
the prairie we built a log house of two rooms, the smaller 
we used for a kitchen and the larger was curtained off into 
bed rooms. We then went for the famih^ and brought them 
over. We stayed a few days, visiting ]\Ir. Simmons' family. 

We crossed our wagons on boats, when the tide was in, 
below the lower falls of the Des Chutes. When the tide was 
out we drove our work cattle across Budd's Inlet and then 
drove out five miles to our future home. The fifteenth of De- 
cember. 1847, we took our first dinner at our home on Cham- 
bers' Prairie. 

Here our stock had plenty of grass and wintered well, 
so they were fat in February. We butchered a fine beef and 
had plenty of tallow to make candles. Mother had brought 
enough candle wicking to do several years. The candles were 
a great improvement on the old iron lamp in which we had 
to burn hog's lard. This lamp was made with a short spout for 



162 THURSTON COUNTY 

the wick to lie in and one end of the wick came ont of this 
spout to burn. The handle at the other end of the lamp was 
so arranged that it came up over the center of the lamp, so 
as to hold the lamp level. A cotton cloth, twisted, served as a 
wick. Father put up a milk house, and, in March, commenced 
to make butter, and in April, to make cheese. 

Brother Thomas and I took up claims adjoining, and we 
milked the cows, morning and evening, for our board. We 
built a log house of one room on our claim. We made it a 
five-cornered house, the fifth corner being for the fireplace. In 
]\Iay we dug two troughs and started a tan yard, on a small 
scale. We used the troughs for vats, and alder and hemlock 
bark, for tanning purposes. We dried the bark and pounded 
it fine. We burned oyster and clam shell and used the lime 
to take the hair off the skins. We made sole leather out of 
beef hides, and for the upper leather we used deer and cougar 
hides. By the first of November we had our leather ready to 
make shoes. We brought a kit of shoemakers' tools with us 
and father and I made the shoes. We brought with us a num- 
ber of lasts of different sizes. For sewing we put a number of 
strands of shoe thread together — the length we wanted — and 
we twisted and waxed this string, tapered the ends and put 
a hog bristle on each end for needles. It Avas a nice piece of 
work to put the bristles on so they would stay. This we could 
do to perfection. If they came off they could not be put on 
again. 

We made our shoe pegs of maple and dog wood, well 
seasoned, sawed the length and size we wanted the pegs to 
be. We split oft' slabs the thickness to make square pegs, and 
shaved the slabs to make the pegs sharp at one end. We used 
a stick with a notch against which we held the slabs and 
sharpened first one side and then the other. A strip of leather 
with a slit in it was fastened to the shoe board. We took two 
or three of the sharpened slabs and held them with the left 
hand against the leather which served as a lever for the knife, 
and, with the point of the knife, held to place by running it in 
the slit in the leather, we split off the pegs. 

The crop we put in on Cowlitz Prairie turned out well, and 
we hauled it over early in the Fall, or enough of it to plant and 
to keep us until we grew our first crop on Chambers' Prairie. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 163 

The winters of 1845-6 and 1846-7 were very mild and pleasant. 
We made rails to fence in land to protect our crops. We 
raised plenty of wheat, potatoes, peas and other vegetables. 
We had wheat coffee, and pea coffee, and we could always 
change from one to the other. Boiled wheat and milk made an 
extra dish for supper. 

Father and mother were highly pleased with this country 
and they thought there was no place like it; fat beef off the 
range in February, and plenty of oysters and clams for the 
digging. One beef would give us sixty pounds of tallow, and 
in those days tallow was an important item. 

That same spring of 1848, we built the log barn which 
stood over half a century and finally had to be burned on ac- 
count of its being unsafe for the stock. It was built similar 
to those already described, except that this barn had five 
apartments, two for hay and grain, one for stalls, one for 
wagons, and one for threshing. It was a long, narrow barn, 
and all under one roof. The clapboards were put on with 
wrought nails from England, the sheeting was of logs, put on 
the right distance apart to use four-foot boards. 

Thomas and I had been looking forward and calculating 
to return to Missouri in two j^ears to see our girls that we had 
left behind us. In 1848 mother received a letter from our old 
home, telling about what had taken place since we left and 
among the news was the marriage of a certain j'oung lady, 
and this had the effect of making me contented to remain on 
Puget Sound. 

This was a sensible decision, for, during the winter of 
1847, Indians broke out and massacred Dr. and Mrs. Whitman 
and many others at the Mission, near Walla Walla. The people 
of Oregon raised a company of Volunteers to subdue the Cayuse 
tribe, the only hostiles. They succeeded in bringing the leaders 
to justice. We, on Puget Sound, did not know about the 
trouble until it was all settled. The Indians here were friendly 
and they were glad to have the Bostons — as thej' called the 
Americans — come. About this time gold was discovered in 
California, and Thomas and I got the fever to go, as Brother 
James was there. 



164 THURSTON COUNTY 

Mrs. Chambers' Story As Told By Her 
Daughter Nora 

I left my childhood home in company with my three 
brothers, my sister-in-law, two nephews, and a niece, on April 
1st, 1851, to cross the continent with ox teams. 

My only sister took the road leading to Louisville the 
same morning, having been married to Presly jM. Hoskins one 
week before. I can see the wagon yet that carried her goods, 
as it slowly turned down a hill that we used to travel so much 
to school and church together. Oh, how sorrowful a day that 
was! We crossed the Wabash Kiver at Terre Haute, about 
25 miles from our home in Sullivan County, Indiana, travelling 
across Illinois to Missouri, landing at St. Joe on the Missouri 
River on the 9th day of May. Here we stayed a few days to 
rest our jaded teams. The roads were frightful, the poor oxen 
would almost mire down in many places. 

When we crossed the river into the Indian Territory, I 
felt as if we had left all civilization behind us. My sister- 
in-law was sick, my niece much younger than I, consequently 
all the cooking and planning fell on my shoulders. None but 
those who have cooked for a family of eight, crossing the plains, 
can have any idea of the amount of food consumed. 

There isn't much fun cooking with sage brush almost as 
dry as straw. Sometimes the cakes — flapjacks — were black 
with the ashes blown over them. To throw them away and 
bake others was out of the question, for the next lot would 
have been the same, besides we had to be very saving of pro- 
visions. When we were all well we had jolly times, but my 
sister-in-law was sick almost all the time, which was a great 
source of anxiety to us. At times we almost despaired of her 
life. 

I used to think, when travelling over those rocky roads, 
often seeing the skulls and bones of fellowmen bleaching in 
the hot sun, so far from home and loved ones, that if we were 
spared to reach a land of civilization, I could see my dearest 
loved ones laid away with a tear. Oh, the thought of leaving 
a loved one so far away was perfectly agonizing. 

Often we would see parts of C[uilts that had been wrapped 
around the form of some dear one laid away, but both body and 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 165 

quilts had been dug out b}- the wild animals and the bones 
laid bare before the gaze of the pitiless sun. We saw some 
graves that had been made secure by heavy stones that had 
been placed upon them so. that the wild beasts could not roll 
them off. We had one funeral in our train, a little boy, and 
how sad it was to drive away and leave the new-made grave ! 

One of our sorrows was the loss of our faithful dog, which 
had accompanied us from home. The poor beast perished when 
we were crossing the desert. My sister-in-law was very ill — 
we did not know that she would live through the day. We had 
hauled water enough to last for two days, but had to use it 
very sparingly. I remembered, after we missed the dog, of 
seeing him coming along behind the wagon with his tongue 
hanging out of his mouth. Poor fellow, if he had been taken 
in and given a little water he would have been saved. Except 
for the sickness in our family, we had an excellent trip, com- 
pared with some. We had no trouble with Indians — only some 
scares. One night the guards came in and reported the Indians 
had frightened all the stock and they had run off. Of course, 
we prepared to defend ourselves as best we could. The wagons 
were put around to form a circle, the tongue of one wagon 
resting on the back of another. Then the women and children 
were put into as few wagons as possible and one man sat in 
front of each wagon with his gun ready to shoot if an Indian 
put in an appearance. We were greatly rejoiced when morn- 
ing came and no sight of an Indian anywhere. 

Sometimes we would lay by all day to give the oxen a little 
rest when the weather was so warm. Then we would start out 
just at night-fall and travel all night. In this way I missed 
the sight of Court House Rock, although we had seen it in the 
distance for several days, rearing up like an immense old 
building. Chimney Rock, too, "u^as quite a curiosity. We 
could see it for days and it looked so close at hand that three 
or four days before we reached it some of the company started 
to go to it but came into camp in the evening, tired out with 
walking a whole afternoon carrying their guns. The shape of 
the rock was very much like a chimney standing alone, way 
out on the plains with no other rock near it. 

We passed some very beautiful rocks very much like the 
ones in Yellowstone Park. On some of the smooth ones there 



166 THURSTON COUNTY 

were hundreds of names, each one higher than the last, the 
writers having climbed up to see who could write their name 
the highest. 

The Devil's Gate is a queer freak of nature and quite a 
curiosity. There is just room for a wagon road between the 
high rocks on either side. 

We passed what was then called Steamboat Springs. The 
water was thrown up into the air several feet high. Then 
there were the hot springs, some beautiful waterfalls and 
many, many other strange and beautiful things that I do not 
recall at this late day. 

The most unpleasant part of the journey was throug'h the 
alkali district. It was white as far as you could see. In some 
places a thick crust or scum was on the top of the earth. Our 
hands and lips were sore from the alkali in the air. AVe would 
be so covered with dust as we travelled along that at night-fall 
we could not tell our nearest neighbor, as all looked alike. 

Cows, as a general rule, stood the trip much better than 
oxen. We brought one yoke of young cows that we milked at 
the home place, and more faithful creatures I never saw. They 
worked every day until August. Coming through the Blue 
Mountains, one of the poor creatures gave out, laid down and 
refused to get up, so we had to leave her and travel on. Our 
hearts were sad when we took a last look at one so faithful. 
We learned afterwards that a party coming along after us 
found her quite refreshened after her rest and brought her 
on through with them, which we were very glad to know. 
These two cows gave us plenty of milk until we reached the 
alkali country, when the feed was so poor that they had no 
milk for us. 

Besides losing our cow in the Blue Mountains, we had 
another remarkable event — the birth of a son to Mr. and Mrs. 
Ross. (They and their son now reside in the Puyallup valley.) 
We laid by for half a day and then travelled on as if nothing 
had happened. Mrs. Ross and the child got along nicely. 

The next event of importance was the crossing of the 
Rocky Mountains. It was a tiresome, tedious journey, and our 
cattle, after travelling so far, were very much fatigued. For 
days it was up, up all the time and the road was often very 
winding. The five girls that were in our train would some- 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 167 

times take what we called a "cutoff" and come out on the road 
a long distance ahead of the wagon. These five girls were 
Elizabeth White, now Mrs. D. R. Bigelow of Olympia ; Jerusha 
White, now Mrs. A. W. Stewart of Puyallup; ]\Iillie Stewart, 
now Mrs. Dr. Spinning of Puyallup ; IMargaret White, now INIrs. 
Andrew Chambers of Olympia, and Mrs. Durgan of Olympia, 
whose maiden name I have forgotten. 

One day, as we could see the road quite a distance off, 
we set out on one of our trips, which proved to be much longer 
than we had any idea of. We were climbing hills, tramping 
over rocks, through deep ravines and scattering timber, all the 
nflernoon. 

About as blue a time as we had was when our cattle were 
poisoned — every one lying dow^n and groaning like sick people. 
Luckily for us, my brother had taken along a much greater 
amount of bacon than was needed, so we had enough fat meat 
to let the entire company have some. The men sat up all night 
and cut the meat into such sized pieces as they could put down 
the throats of the animals. Consequently, our teams were saved 
and we were able to resume our journey the next afternoon. 

The trials and troubles of such a journey can never be 
realized. I think if the people had realized the dangers and 
privations attendant upon such a trip they would never have 
undertaken it. 

I shall never forget the first herd of buffalo I saM-. Such 
a number of them — perhaps a hundred. We often saw smaller 
herds travelling towards water. The first meat was a great 
treat, we had been so many months without fresh meat. The 
boys in our company killed three in one day and we laid by a 
day and a half and dried some. We made a scaffold of sticks 
and hung the strips of meat on the sticks, then built a fire 
under the meat. 

After this, when we wished to have a change from the 
dried meat, we would put grease in the pan and fry the meat 
slightly. I can tell you it tasted good after having lived for 
months on salted meat. 

I shall never forget how good the first new potatoes tasted. 
We got them in Powder Eiver Valley. 

One sees the most beautiful wild flowers in crossing the 
plains — flowers of every hue and shade and acres of them. 



168 THURSTON COUNTY 

How I regret not having pressed and keeping some of the 
beauties, but that is a little thing to regret doing, compared 
with the many things we look back and see as we journey on 
through life. So much occurs to us that we wish we had 
done. 

Glad, indeed, was I when we reached The Dalles, on the 
Columbia River, for I knew we were nearing our journey's 
end and nearing civilization once more, where we could have 
the privilege of church and schools. 

While getting supper that night I suffered a burn, the 
scars of which I will carry to my grave. As it was very sandy 
here, and high winds jirevailing, Ave dug a trench to build our 
fire in. As I was putting something over the fire to cook, the 
sand gave way under my foot and I came down with my hand 
in the hot sand and ashes, burning it to a crisp. I could act 
the lady for several weeks after that. 

On the morning of September 16, we took passage on a 
little steamer that plied between The Dalles and the Cascades. 
It had just been built and this was its first trip. 

We remained over night at the Cascades, and there my 
brother purchased a flat boat and we loaded into it and started 
for the mouth of Sandy River, quite a distance from the Cas- 
cades. My two brothers, with two nephews and the rest of the 
men, drove the cattle down the trail along the Columbia, and a 
hard old time they had of it, too. 

AVhen we reached Sandy we found quite a nice farm house 
and a good garden of vegetables, which looked inviting after 
our six months' diet of dried beans, rice, bacon, dried apples 
and peaches. Although we had so much to be thankful for. 
as we had an ample supply, and some to spare, which was more 
than some could say. Some were very scarce of provisions, but 
none were in want in our train. 

Here (at Sandy) we camped on the banks of the Cohnnbia, 
while my brothers took a contract for building a ferry boat for 
the man who lived there — a man named Parker. 

It was perhaps two weeks before our men with the cattle 
arrived, and we were very glad to see them once more. 

The boat being finished, we ferried across the Columbia 
and found a very nice settlement on the river bottom after 
crossing over. My brother and his wife stopped here to take 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 169 

care of the stock, as there was an abundance of good pasturage 
to be had very reasonably. My other brothers and two nephews, 
my niece and myself went to a little town between Portland and 
Oregon City — -Milwaukee. There we rented a house and went 
to school for the winter. 

We soon made some pleasant acquaintances, as all were 
newcomers and it was a small town. We attended singing 
school and some few dancing parties, only to look on. I had 
never seen nor heard a violin before, nor seen any dancing. 
My people were all very strict Presbyterians and we were never 
allowed to indulge in such amusements. 

In September of the same year my brothers decided to 
come to Puget Sound to see if they liked the country better, 
as Ave were not favorably impressed with Oregon. As they 
were pleased, they returned for us and we all came to this 
part of the country — Chambers' Prairie, Thurston County, in 
October, 1852. 

We spent the winter at the eastern extremity of the 
prairie, on the place where the widow Collins now lives, but 
which was owned by Mr. Nathan Eaton at that time. My 
brothers did the first fencing he had done on the prairie. 
They put in grain on shares and looked around for 
claims. IMy two brothers and a nephcAv took donation claims 
adjoining each other. 

The latter part of the winter of 1853 my brothers split 
and sawed all the lumber for their houses, as saw mills were 
unknown in this section in those days. We had puncheon 
floors. For fear you will not know what that is, I will tell 
you. It is a floor laid with split logs, the flat side being 
uppermost. The logs were of cedar and the floor was nice 
and white when scrubbed with sand and cold water. We girls 
used to be very proud of our white floors. I think it was in 
April, 1853, that we moved into our new home. We girls 
were the housekeepers for my brothers and nephews. My 
married brother lived a mile from us, on the place where ]Mr. 
Stralehm now lives. 

That summer was a very dreary one for us, as we had 
never been where there were forest fires before. We feared 
that the fire might come on us at any time as the grass on the 
prairie was very thick and dry. For days the sun hung like a 



170 THURSTON COUNTY 

ball of fire in the heavens. When the rain came and cleared 
the smoke awaj'' all was again pleasant and we soon forgot 
our disagreeable times. 

Our housekeeping for my brothers was of short duration, 
as my neiee decided to become somebody's else housekeeper. 
On the morning of September 22, 1853, she was married to A. 
W. Stewart, a young man who had crossed the plains with us. 

After her departure I made my home with my brother and 
his wife until January, 1854. 

On the 18th of that month I was married to Andrew 
J. Chambers, and came to reside in this house. We have 
spent our lives here since then, and, by the laws of Nature, 
we haven't many more years to live, but hope we shall live 
them here, where we have seen our greatest joys and sor- 
rows. I must say that I had never known what true happiness 
was until I was married, as I had never knov/n the love of 
father or mother. I found great happiness in a loving, affec- 
tionate husband. I only hope that all my daughters may be 
as happy in marriage as their mother. We have raised a 
large family of girls (that we are more than proud of) ten in 
number, seven of whom are still living to cheer our declin- 
ing days. 

The Indian war of 1855-56 was a trying time for the new 
settlers. About this time I had a bad scare. Although the 
Indians east of the mountains were on the war path and we 
heard ail kinds of rumors of their intention to take our 
section of the country, the Sound Indians were apparently 
friendly. An Indian lad who had worked for us told us we 
were in danger, but we paid little attention to him, although 
I was frightened and uneasy. 

A brother of my husband's lived a mile from us, on the 
place his father had settled in 1848. This brother and a young 
man who lived with him were sitting out in front of their 
cabin, in the twilight, one evening within hearing of the 
Indian camp. As they understood the Indian langaiage and 
heard their names mentioned, they listened and heard an 
old Indian say, as he passed his finger over the sharp edge of 
a knife he had bought from John Chambers: "Little did 
John think he was selling me the knife to kill him with." 
Then they talked and planned how they could execute their 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 171 

bloody work, and about this time the boys made tracks for 
our house, so scared that they even left their guns. How well 
I remember that night ! When we heard the gate open and 
shut, Mr. Chambers sprang out of bed and grasped his gun. 
I tell 3'ou, those boys made tracks when they heard him, for 
they knew he had his revolvers and gun ready. As soon as 
they could speak they called to him, and I can tell you we 
were relieved when we heard who it was. Oh, how I shook! 
Just like one with the ague. 

Then the men sat up on guard and run bullets all night, 
as that was the onl^^ kind of ammunition we had in 
those days. 

Earl}'' the next morning the boys returned to their home 
to see how things looked. The old Indian was as fine as he 
could be, and wanted to be very gracious. He had told John 
Chambers some time before that he had come to camp by him 
and was going to live and die by him. The old hypocrite ! 
When he saw the boys he asked them w^here they slept. They 
replied: "In bed." "Not here," he said. Then they asked 
him how he knew. He said they were in the house for some 
medicine for a sick child, which was another story. 

Very soon we heard of men being waylaid and shot, and 
the country was all excitement. Shortly the people began to 
gather into forts to protect themselves. The fort for this 
part of the country was on our place and is still in use as a 
barn. There were block houses on each corner. At one time 
there were thirty-two families in this fort. There were any 
number of children and dogs, and, consequently, any amount of 
music, especially of evenings. We had many startling events, 
of which I well remember one. My husband was lieutenant 
of the company of volunteers within the fort, so he was ordered 
by the captain of the company to take a number of men and 
make a scout through the neighborhood and see if there were 
any Indians prowling around. Tliey mounted their horses 
about five o'clock one afternoon and rode away toward Yelm 
Prairie. Shortly afterwards the command was given for every 
man to get his gun and stand in readiness, as the Indians might 
attack the fort at any moment, as they had undoubtedly 
attacked the men who had gone on the scouting expedition, for 



172 



THURSTON COUNTY 



they had heard the report of several gnns in the direction they 
had gone. 

Such a commotion ! My feelings can better be imagined and 
described, but time told us our fears were groundless. 

That was a long night. Not a wink of sleep for me. 
Morning came, but no signs of Indians. The men were out 
two days and never saw nor heard an Indian. How rejoiced 
I was when I saw my good husband again ! 

There was one man in the company who used to give us 
a scare by firing his gun while on guard. The orders were 
not a gun was to be shot unless at an Indian. Knowing this, 
imagine yourself, sitting by the fire, with everything quiet, 
and then hear one shot after another! The old man always 
said he saw Indians. 

The war broke out in October, 1855, and ended in June. 
1856. The last battle was fought east of the mountains. 

There is a great deal more that I could write, but time 
will not permit me. 




JACOB OTT AND WIFE 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 173 



MRS. JACOB OTT 



"I wish Mr. Ott were here to tell you about the exciting 
experiences he went through in early days," said Mrs. Jacob 
Ott, when interviewed and asked to tell the story of her life 
in Olympia. "I never knew any hardships, and, although the 
life in America was new and strange to me, upon my arrival 
from my girlhood home in Switzerland, I was always com- 
fortable. All dangers from Indian outrages was over and 
civilization was quite well advanced. 

"But when Mr. Ott came to America in 1850, he found the 
country very different from what he had been accustomed to. 
He was also born in Switzerland and it was there that he 
learned his trade of carpenter. When quite a young man he 
came to this country, stopping first in St. Louis. Later he 
joined a train of emigrants bound for the Golden "West. All 
places were alike to the young man, adventure, and perhaps 
a chance to gather some of the gold he heard so much about, 
was what he was looking for. The trip was made in the 
regulation way — ox teams — to Portland, Oregon. After six 
months in that settlement, Mr. Ott heard so much talk of the 
opportunities to be found on Puget Sound, that he determined 
to try his luck there. Tumwater was the only place of any 
importance then, so he came, arriving here in 1852. From 
Montieello Landing, Mr. Ott made the trip to Tumwater on 
horseback. The prospects of this section of the Northwest 
looked good to him, so he decided to stay here. 

"Among the first things Mr. Ott did was to buy a num- 
ber of lots of timber land in the town and begin clearing them 
off. The lots were very heavily wooded, and almost the first 
thing that happened to the young man was an incident that 
at the time frightened him into a cold perspiration. One morn- 
ing he had laid his ax at the root of a tall fir and had it 
chopped part way through, so the mighty trunk began to l)end 
towards the ground, when there dropped at the feet of the 



174 THURSTON COUNTY 

yoimg woodsman a small Indian baby, which had apparently 
only been dead a short time. ]Mr. Ott was simply paralyzed 
with fear and for a while thought the child must have been 
thrown at him by some unseen Indians as a menace of some 
sort. But after a while it occurred to him to examine the 
top branches of the tree, and there he discovered the rude 
cradle in which the papoose had been put to sleep his last 
sleep. A further search disclosed three other Indians repos- 
ing in the tree tops and then it dawned on him that he had 
intruded on an Indian 'burying' ground, if I may call it that. 
The experience was an unusual one to a young man fresh to 
the manners and customs of the wilderness. He always looked 
carefully in the branches of a tree before beginning cutting 
after that. 

"Before Mr. Ott had lived in the West very long, he took 
up a claim, five miles out from Tumwater, and built a little 
shack on the land, living there alone while he cleared and got 
the place ready for planting. 

"He didn't spend much time or labor on the house and 
used shakes he cut himself, in the construction. So flimsy 
was the structure that many a night he stood guard all night 
long, with an ax in his hands, to protect himself and pro- 
visions from the cougars, which whined and growled at the 
rude door and threatened to break in at any moment. The 
wild animals smelled the meat which Mr. Ott would have in 
his shack and were determined to have their share. This 
lasted till he could take time to build a more secure house. 

"Mr. Ott served his six months in the Indian war. as did 
most of the men living here in the days of the trouble with the 
Indians. His special work was teaming for the government, 
hauling supplies to the forts and wherever troops were sta- 
tioned. As the rascals were anxious for the provisions and 
blankets, with which the wagons were loaded, this was con- 
sidered to be especially dangerous, and Mr. Ott used to tell 
me about sleeping at nights holding the lariat ropes of his 
cattle all night long to prevent a stampede. 

"One night, I remember my husband telling me about, the 
Indians were all around the teams and an ambush was feared 
at any moment. There were five or six teamsters in the train 
and their wagons were loaded with what would have been a 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 175 

rich haul for the Indians. Night was coming on and the men 
were worried at the prospects of camping there, being al- 
most sure they would be attacked before morning. A halt 
was called to discuss the situation when there was seen com- 
ing toAvards them, the most wrinkled old squaw the eye of 
man had ever beheld. She must have passed the century 
mark in years, so old and feeble did she appear. Holding up 
her hand in sign of peace, she came up to the men, and in 
Chinook, told them not to go that way that night for they 
would surely be killed if they did, but instead to camp for 
the night under a certain tree which stood all by itself ozi a 
cleared place a little way off. 

"The men didn't know anything better to do, although 
they were afraid of treachery on the part of the squaw. But 
after a consultation, they decided to take the warning and 
camp where the squaw directed them to do. 

''Sure enough, the tree was found just as had been de- 
scribed and when the teams reached the spot, the wagons Avere 
corraled and the men prepared to spend, the night. They were 
not molested, and in the morning proceeded on their way in 
peace. The mystery of the squaw's protection wsls never ex- 
plained, nor why they were not attacked during the night. 
IMr. Ott often wondered if there was not some sort of an 
Indian superstition about the tree which safeguarded anyone 
who sought shelter beneath its branches. 

"After a number of years, Mr. Ott prospered so well that 
he began to think he would like to see his boyhood home and 
friends again, so he went back to Switzerland on a visit. While 
there he met me, then quite a young girl, and induced me to 
come to America with him. We were passengers on the second 
train that ever started to cross the continent. 

"When I arrived here I couldn't tell 'yes' from 'no' in 
English, and I thought I never would be able to make my- 
self understood. I could have learned Chinook quicker than 
I did English, only I was so afraid of the Indians. Mr. Ott 
was a favorite with them and when we got here they came in 
dusky swarms, crowding right up to the door of the house 
to see Jake's wife. I nearly died, I was so frightened of 
them. 

"I was that lonesome and homesick that Avhen my Henry 



176 THURSTON COUNTY 

was born I thought if anything should happen to that baby 
I'd just end it all by jumping into the bay. But he kept me 
from moping around much, for he was the greatest care for a 
long time. The poor little thing was so tiny that for the first 
six weeks w^e kept him in a ten-pound tea box, wrapped in 
cotton. He was too small to dress and when he was big 
enough to handle, I had to make him a complete new ward- 
robe, for everything I had made before he was born was too 
large for him. 

"When we finally decided to move from Tumwater and 
came to Olympia, Mr. Ott built this house, where we have 
lived ever since. Every stick in the house was put here by 
Mr. Ott's own hands. 

"Fifteen years ago, in August, 1899, my husband died 
in this house, after an illness of only a few moments, so ful- 
filling the desire of his later years that when Death called him 
he would go quick. 

"We have had three children, Henrj', born February 18, 
1870; Walter, born in Baker, Oregon, March 20, 1872; Ger- 
trude, born at Globe, .Arizona, February 28, 1875." 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 177 



DR. ALONZO GERRY COOK 



While not a Thurston County pioneer within the strictest 
meaning of the term, Dr. Alonzo Gerry Cook has spent so 
many summers with his daughter, Mrs. Millard Lemon, on 
Fuget Sound, and during his younger manhood so frequently 
visited the Territorial capital in pursuit of official duty, that 
a history of this section would be incomplete without some 
mention of this grand old man and his devoted wife. 

Born in Portland, Maine, on May 13, 1839, the young 
Alonzo spent his infant years at this place, accompanying his 
parents to Illinois, settling about sixty miles from Chicago. 
Here he grew to j^oung manhood, and after graduating from a 
law school, was admitted to practice law. In 1861 ]Mr. Cook 
met and married Miss Isabella Webster. Dr. Cook's tribute 
to the devotion of his wife was beautiful. He said: "My 
wife, born in London, England, came to America in a sailing 
vessel before steam was commonly used. The ocean trip con- 
sumed six weeks, then through the Erie Canal to Buffalo, and 
then through Lake Erie to Ohio. Later, after our marriage, 
to Washington, then to Long Beach and Los Angeles — cows, 
mules and stage being the means of conveyance for the three 
times this noble woman has accompanied me across the plains. 
In later years we have taken the trip several times with all 
the luxury and conveniences furnished by the Pullman Com- 
pany, but Mrs. Cook was as cheerful and uncomplaining dur- 
ing those days of hardship and trial as she was when we 
traveled in comfort." 

In the Spring of 1862, Mr. Cook and his girl bride started 
to cross the plains with a team of four cows. After the usual 
hardships attendant on the emigrant trip, the young couple 
finally reached The Dalles. Two of their cows succumbed 
to the rigors of the trip and the wagon was hauled the last 
stages of the journey by the two remaining animals. Dr. Cook 
tells as characteristic the way these pioneer emigrants had to 
manage, how the Snake River was crossed in those days long 
before man had set a pier or placed a stick in the building of 
bridges across any of the Avestern streams. "We took off 



178 THURSTON COUNTY 

the wagon bed, when we came to Snake River, unloaded our 
plunder and my wife spared a garment and I spared another, 
to tear into strips. With these we caulked the wagon box 
the best we could and put it in shallow water to soak over 
night. In the morning, partly loading our equipment in the 
box, we started to paddle over. I steered and rowed the ex- 
temporized craft the best I could, but the water rushed in in 
spite of our caulking, so my wife bailed for dear life till we 
landed on the far shore. Then we had to return, and make 
the trip several times, for we did not dare to put much of our 
plunder in at one time. The cows then swam across 
the river, we reloaded and proceeded on our way, nothing 
daunted and hardly considering that we had done anything 
remarkable, as that was the only way of crossing large streams 
in those days. 

"When The Dalles was reached, we sold our remaining 
cows for barely money enough to take us to Portland. This 
city was then only a village of one street and few business 
houses. We stayed the first night at the old Portland Hotel. 
a small wooden building. The next morning I went out on the 
streets to look for a job. We were broke and I needed a job 
the w^orst way. Almost the first man I met was a farmer from 
Yamhill County, named Griner. He was road master in his 
section and wanted a man to work on the road. He told me 
he could give me and my wife house room while I was working 
for him. I gladly accepted and soon was armed with a pick 
and shovel. Mr. Griner was in doubt as to some of his legal 
privileges in his work and asked my advice. I told him I did 
not know what the local custom was but so and so was the law 
on the case. He was surprised at my legal knowledge and 
asked me about it. I told him I had the theory but had never 
j^et practised law. Mr. Griner told me to drop the pick and 
shovel and take my wife and go to Lafayette, Oregon. He 
wanted to send his young lady daughter to school and wanted 
to board her with a cultured family, and assured us he would 
see that we had enough to eat during the winter. This was 
the end of our very hard times. While we were in Lafayette, 
our only child, Marabell. was born." 

Mr. Cook then related that soon after the birth of his 
child he was offered the position of district attorney for that 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 179 

section of the Northwest that is now Idaho. Pie went to Boise 
City alone, but sent for Mrs. Cook and the baby within a short 
time. They remained in Boise City a couple of years and then 
Mr. Cook was sent to the Eastern States for the purpose of 
securing a charter for the First National Bank of that city. 
Chris Moore was the bank president. His wife accompanied 
him on this trip, which was made by stage. 

Upon Mr. Cook's return to the West he settled in Van- 
couver, where he became a partner in a law office with the 
Hon. H. G. Struve. Struve afterwards was made District At- 
torney over a group of ten counties, of which Thurston was 
one. When Struve 's term expired, Mr. Cook was elected to 
succeed his former law partner. 

During the two years of this service, Mr. Cook made fre- 
quent trips to attend the Supreme Court in Olympia and be- 
came very well acquainted with the best people of the Capitol 
City. He can remember when Tacoma was only a dream of 
the future, one settler, Job Carr, being the entire population 
of the City of Destiny. 

About this time Mr. Cook's health began to fail him, and 
in looking over some medical books to investigate his ail- 
ments he became interested in medicine and decided to study 
that profession. He took a course in the Cooper Medical 
College in San Francisco. Then he went to Chicago where he 
became a graduate of the Hahnemann Homeopathic College. 

During the year of 1872 Dr. and Mrs. Cook and their 
young daughter went to California to make their home. They 
were accompanied on this trip by William Lemon and family 
to Los Angeles. Dr. Cook practised medicine in this city and 
Oakland for many years. 

Although the doctor has now retired from active practise 
he has by no means retired from active life for when the 
compiler of these reminiscences called upon him at the home 
of his son-in-law, Millard Lemon, he told about having spent 
the greater part of the day pruning a pear tree 50 feet high 
in its top boughs. 

Dr. and Mrs. Cook claim Long Beach, California, for their 
home, but every summer the lure of Puget Sound calls them 
and they come up and spend the hot months visiting at the 
home of their only daughter, Mrs. Millard Lemon. 



180 THURSTON COUNTY 



WILLIAM D. KING 



The history of William D. King as related by his son, 
Charles D. King, is but a repetition of the sturdy expression 
of the spirit of adventure which led so many from comfortable 
homes in the Eastern States, to undergo the hardships and 
privations of a frontier life. 

In 1852, William King left his young wife, Caroline, in 
their Michigan home, and crossed the plains with the customary 
ox teams. Arriving in this section, the summer was spent at 
Grand Mound Prairie, looking for a place of permanent loca- 
tion. 

In the spring of 1853, Mr. King decided to take up a dona- 
tion claim in Cowlitz County, and selected a site just above the 
town of Kelso on the Cowlitz River. For a couple of years Mr. 
King worked on his claim, subduing the wilderness and build- 
ing up a home for his young wife. 

Finall.y, in 1855, Mrs. King was sent for, to join her hus- 
band, and made the trip to Washington by way of Panama, 
being among the first passengers to travel on the railroad 
which had recently been built across the Isthmus. The Kings 
continued to occupy their farm on the Cowlitz until the year 
1863, and during this time, in 1859, their son, Charles D., 
was born. 

During the time of the Indian war troubles, in 1855-56, 
Mr. and Mrs. King and son were obliged to take refuge in the 
block house on the Cowlitz. It was during their sojourn in this 
place of refuge that their second son, the late H. S. King, 
was born. 

Neighbors of the King family in the fort were the 
Ostrander and the Catlin families, whose names are among the 
best known of the pioneers of that section. 

Mr. King was the second auditor ever elected in Cowlitz 
County, which office he held for several terms. 

In 1863, the family sold their donation claim and removed 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 181 

to Clackamas County, Oregon, afterwards settling in Umatilla 
County, where they lived until the time of IMr. King's death. 
This latter event occurred while he was on a trip to IMiehigan, 
where he had taken his younger son to place him in school, 
and w^as caused by a railroad wreck. 

The son, Charles, then wandered forth in the world on 
his own responsibility, leading the checkered career of a young 
man striving to educate himself, and at the same time earn his 
living on the frontier. The lad drifted to California, then to 
Winnemucca, Nevada, then on into Idaho, finally settling for 
several years at Weiser City, in that Territory. 

It was at Winnemucca that he was admitted to practise 
law, and here, too, he was living at the time of the Bannock 
and Nez Perce Indian wars. Mr. King was one of the guard 
stationed outside that frontier town to give warning to the 
citizens of the approach of the Indians who were ravaging the 
country in Idaho and Nevada, terrorizing the settlers, and 
freighters, and even the inhabitants of the smaller towns, who 
feared an attack. The tribes at one time joined forces and 
numbered 2,000 warriors. 

The younger King, before practising law, for a time, led 
a Mnld life as a cowboy on the Idaho ranges, and during this 
time was participant in many exciting adventures. 

In 1891, C. D. King came to Olympia, and began the 
practise of law. He still continues to live in this city. 

His only brother, H. S. King, died in Olympia, in 1912. 



1&2 _ ....---. THURSTON COUNTY 



WILLIAM LEMON 



William Lemon and his wife were among the pioneers of 
the Cowlitz River settlement, and later of Cowlitz Prairie, and 
their experiences in this section were such as to try men's 
souls, until land was cleared and cultivated and neighbors 
began to arrive. 

The subject of this sketch, William Lemon, was born in 
Orange County, New York, his parents later going to Michi- 
gan, then to Illinois, and still later out to Iowa, where they 
lived for several years. Here William became a man and 
was finally married to a blithe Irish lass. 

The young couple, with their one child, caught the emigra- 
tion fever and decided to cast their fortunes with other emi- 
grants and go to Oregon, so in 1852 the trip was made with 
ox teams. 

When The Dalles was reached, late in the fall, Mr. Lemon 
decided to leave his considerable number of cattle there to 
winter, and go on down to Portland. Here he expected to 
find work at his trade of carpenter. 

However, before the little family reached this point, an 
important event happened. Their second child was born. His 
birth place was beside the Snake River in what is now Idaho, 
but was then comprised within the Oregon boundary. His 
cradle was a box in the wagon bed, his lullaby the rustle of 
the wind through the sage brush and grease wood. His mother 
told, to the time of her last illness, how the little fellow cried 
day and night, after he was taken into the house, for the rock- 
ing of the wagon. That child is now Millard Lemon of 
Olympia. 

When spring came, Mr. Lemon went back to The Dalles 
to round up his cattle. The winter had been a hard one, and in 
common with many other emigrants, who had hoped their 
cattle would winter without other feed than what the animals 
could pick up on the ranges, Mr. Lemon lost every one of 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 183 

his cattle except one ox. Owing to the hardness of the winter 
and unexpected rush of emigration during the year of 1852-3, 
the crop of potatoes produced by the few farmers around 
Portland was soon used up and the prices for this vegetable 
soared to the sky. The elder Lemon thought there must be 
a fortune in potatoes, judging from the price he was obliged 
to pay. So when spring came, he took his family and went on 
up to the Cowlitz country, took up a piece of land, and put it 
all in potatoes. As everyone else in the country had been pos- 
sessed with the same inspiration, there was almost no giving 
this humble vegetable away, and prices scarcely paid for the 
digging. 

It was while living on this homestead on the Cowlitz River 
that the baby who had come to the Lemon family on the plains 
nearly lost his life in a tragic manner. The little fellow had 
just begun to toddle and was playing around the door step 
of his father's cabin, when an immense eagle circled above his 
head, and was just swooping down to seize the child, when his 
father caught sight of the bird and shot it. The eagle's body 
fell into the river, but it was a narrow escape, and one of the 
mother's favorite tales to her children when they gathered 
around her knee in the gloaming. 

Becoming dissatisfied with the place on the river, Mr. 
Lemon went to Cowlitz Prairie and took up a donation claim 
of a half a section of land. Here the family was living during 
the time of the Indian war, seeking refuge with the other 
families on this prairie, in the block house on the Parsons' 
place. The women and children would stay in the block house 
and the men fare forth during the day to till the soil and 
gather in the crops, returning to spend the night with their 
families within the safety of the block house enclosure. 

Mr. Millard Lemon has in his possession to this day the 
gun which his father used to put over his shoulder when it 
was his turn to stand guard, and to protect himself with, while 
tilling the land. This was the same gun that ended the life 
of the eagle I have told about. 

Mr. Lemon, senior, in after years, received the pension 
awarded Indian war veterans. At this time the Cowlitz 
Prairie was principally settled with French Canadians, servants 
of the Hudson Bay Company, and a class of people who cared 



184 THURSTON COUNTY 

but little for educational advantages, so the mother insisted 
that the family must go somewhere that the children could go 
to school. 

Claquato, the county seat of Lewis County, was selected. 
Here, for four years, the Lemon children were taught by Miss 
Peebles, one of the Mercer girls, and who afterwards became 
Mrs. A. Mcintosh, of Seattle. Millard Lemon gives this lady 
a just due of praise, by affirming that she was the best 
teacher he ever had, and as he is a college graduate, he must 
have had many and good ones, too. 

While residing on Cowlitz Prairie and Claquato, Mrs. 
Lemon made many visits to friends in Olympia, and Millard 
Lemon's early recollections include chasing the cows over what 
is now Capitol Park, but was then only a wilderness of fallen 
log's, brush and stumps. His companion in his boyhood days, 
and favorite chum, was Fred Guyot, then a lad of about nine 
years, and in ]\Ir. Lemon's own words, "as fine a lad as ever 
lived." 

In 1874, the Lemon family went to live in Los Angeles. 
California. But after spending several years in that place, 
decided to return to Washington. Olympia was selected as 
the place of residence this time, and here Mr. and Mrs. Lemon 
built the house on Eighth Street that was the family home 
for years, and where life ended for jNIr. Lemon, in 1890. Mrs. 
Lemon lived on in the old home for another seven years-, and 
then she joined her husband. 

To jMr. and j\Irs. Lemon were born seven children : Thomas, 
IMillard, Frances, Marion, Alice, Edwin and Ida. Millard and 
Ida are the only ones of the family still living. Ida is now 
^Irs. Mann, and lives in the family home. A granddaughter 
— child of Alice — Mrs. C. Goldstein, who is now^ Mrs. Garrett, 
has lived in Olympia the past few years, formerly making her 
home in Seattle. 

The lad, IMillard, studied out of the same reader with 
Fred Guyot, and sat on the same bench in the little old log 
school house with the little girl who afterwards became Mrs. 
Charles Talcott, the first wife of one of Olympia 's pioneer 
jewelers. While a student at the State University of Oregon 
at Salem, Millard Lemon had as classmates, Stephen J. Chad- 
wick, now Judge of the Supreme Court of Washington; C. S. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 185 

wick, Judge of the Supreme Court, and C. S. Rienhart, who 
has been elerk of the same court since Washington became 
a State, and the late Frank M. McCully, Avho was Deputy 
Superintendent of Public Instruction of Washington at the 
time of his death, in Olvmpia, in 1907. 

In 1876, Millard entered De Pauw University at Green 
Castle, Indiana, from which institution he graduated in 1880, 
taking the degree of A. B. Afterwards he took a classical 
course and secured- his degree of A. M. from the California 
State University. Following his graduation, Mr. Lemon had 
a varied career. 

Through the suggestion of Bishop Taylor, he Avent to 
Santiago, Chile, and was one of the founders of Santiago Col- 
lege, where he was head of the boys department. ]\Ir. Lemon's 
stay with this college lasted two years. 

At the expiration of this period, Mr. Lemon engaged in 
railroad engineering in the State of Chile, continuing in this 
work for the following six years. 

Returning to the United States in 1888, Mr. Lemon so- 
journed long enough at Long Beach, California, to become 
united in marriage to his boyhood's sweetheart, Marabelle 
Cook. The young couple then came to Olympia to visit 
Millard's father and mother. The business prospects of the 
Capitol City were bright, so they decided to make this city 
their home. 

IMr. Lemon has been successful in financial affairs and 
is today rated as one of the most solidly successful business 
men, not only in Oh^mpia, but the entire State of Washing- 
ton; a man who takes pride in the description, "His word is 
as good as his bond." 

Three children brighten the Lemon home, Edith, Mildred 
and Gerry. 



186 THURSTON COUNTY 



I. HARRIS & SONS 



The name of Harris, father and sons, has been so prom- 
inently identified with the commercial and social life of 
Olympia for the past forty-five years that a history of Thurston 
County would be incomplete, indeed, without a sketch of this 
family. Although ]\Ir. I. Harris located in Olympia as late as 
1870, he may well be counted among the actual pioneers of 
the Coast, for with his bride, then a young girl of nineteen 
years of age, he arrived in Oregon in 1853. The voyage from 
their New York home was made by the way of Panama to San 
Francisco, then on up to Portland. The first stop was made in 
Salem, Oregon. At this place, Mr. Harris engaged in a general 
merchandise business, but later concluded to try his fortune 
in Walla Walla. The family made the trip to the latter place 
by stage, from The Dalles. 

Mr. Harris was one of the leading merchants in Walla 
Walla for the next four years, but the wanderlust was not 
yet satisfied, so another move was made into the wnlds of 
Montana. Mrs. Harris, with her two small sons, Mitchel and 
Gus, visited relatives in the Eastern States while ^Ir. Harris 
was trying his fortune in Montana. 

The climate of this section of the West not agreeing with 
Mr. Harris, he decided to try Puget Sound. Olympia was at 
that time beginning to attract attention, and the tide of 
emigration seemed to be setting in strong for the Northwest, 
so this settlement was chosen as the next field of activities. 
That Mr. Harris was pleased with his selection, is manifest 
from the fact that Olympia was his home from that date, 1870, 
to the day of his death. 

When her husband was finally located in Olympia, Mrs. 
Harris and little sons joined him. 

A third son, Henry, was born after Mr. and Mrs. Harris 
had lived here a few years. 

The first store building occupied by IMr. Harris, was 
in the Tilley block, corner of Third and Main Streets, and a 
line of general merchandise was carried, although the Indian 
trade was largely catered to and a brisk business was carried 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 187 

on with the natives, who bartered skins for gaudy blankets 
and bright colored beads. 

For several years the Harris family lived in a neat little 
home on the corner of Fourth and Washington Streets, the 
land now being used for business purposes, and the house long 
since demolished. 

At that time the home of T. F. McElroy was by all odds 
the finest in the town, and was considered quite in the sub- 
urbs, surrounded, as it was, by the almost untouched forest. 
Mr. Harris, in about the year 1880, became the possessor of the 
half block of land between Main and Washington Streets, and 
built the substantial house which still continues to be the 
family residence. The Harris boys attended the schools of 
Olympia, at one time, being students in the little school taught 
by Miss Mary O'Neal. 

Later, the two elder sons, Mitchel and Gus, were sent to 
Portland, Oregon, to take special courses in German and music. 
Upon the completion of their education, they assisted their 
father in his business, and the firm name was changed from 
I. Harris, to Harris & Sons. 

In the year 1896, Mr. Harris, senior, while on an Eastern 
trip, contracted pneumonia and died before his sons could reach 
his bedside. 

The sons continued the business, which had developed into 
one of the leading dry goods stores on the Sound, for several 
years. 

With the exception of a short time spent in San Francisco, 
where he was engaged in business, IMitchel Harris has success- 
fully carried on the business founded by his father forty-five 
years ago. 

In about 1900, the second son, Gus, decided to locate in 
California, and is now at the head of a large dry goods estab- 
lishment in Los Angeles, his partner being Felix Lightner, a 
native of Olympia, and son of a pioneer merchant of this place. 

The youngest son, Henry, decided to devote himself to the 
medical profession. Consequently, after completing a course 8t 
the Leland Stanford University, he graduated from the John 
Hopkins Institute. 

Dr. Harris also spent a year as interne in this institution, 
He then put in two years in the hospitals of Berlin and Vienna, 



188 



THURSTON COUNTY 



taking special courses in medicine. Upon his return to the 
United States, he located in San Francisco, where he has built 
up a large practice. He is married and has three children. 

Mitchel Harris, loyal to the home of his boyhood, with his 
wife and children, Selwyn and Irene, has been twice chosen 
to the office of IMayor of the city by the vote of the people, 
and at all times has stood strong for the best interests of the 
community, and the development and advancement of Olympia. 
His family are prominent in the best society of the city, and in 
many ways his lot is cast in pleasant places. 

The widow and mother, Madame Harris, as she is no'w 
called, is spending her declining years in happiness and con- 
tentment, idolized by her sons and her grandchildren. Some- 
times visiting Gus and his charming family in Los Angeles, 
for a few months in the year, coming to Olympia for the hot 
weather months, and then back to the home of her youngest 
born, in San Francisco. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES " 189 



ALEXANDER YANTIS 



The history of Alex Yantis and his family, while, per- 
haps, not more filled with adventure and trials than that 
of contemporaneous pioneer settlers, is so characteristic and 
vivid, as related by the sons and daughters still living, that 
their experiences merit a prominent place in this collection of 
reminiscences. 

Hailing from Brownsville, ]\Iissouri, the Yantis family, 
consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Yantis and nine sturdy sons and 
daughters, joined a train of ox teams for the overland trip 
to California. Mr. Yantis was elected captain of the train and 
the trip was made without any direct disturbance from the 
Indians, the attacks of whom was the emigrants' constant dread 
and terror all through the long, hot, dusty journey over the 
old Oregon Trail. Although the trip was unavoidably tedious, 
as the oxen were tired and footsore, still many of the re- 
membrances of the younger ones of that trainload are pleasant 
and full of interest. The big camp fires at night, when all 
gathered around telling and listening to tales of home and 
adventure, the novel experiences each day would bring forth, 
the laying b}'- for one day's rest each week to allow the women 
to wash the clothes and bake up a supply of bread, while the 
children played around the wagons and picked the many-hued 
flowers which grew by the side of the road. These were among 
the simple pleasures which made the trip endurable and almost 
enjoyable. The Yantis sons and daughters still tell with glee 
of the fun and play of the trip, whenever a family reunion is 
held. They were a happy family, with the family ties tender 
and close to this day, among the children who survive. 

The nearest to a tragedy encountered was when the Snake 
River country was reached. At a certain point in the trail 
the road diverged and a sign post was set up by some previous 
traveller indicating that by following one of the roads a 
nearer cut-off would be found, although through a wilder 



19() THURSTON COUNTY 

country. One family decided to take this nearer trail although 
earnestly remonstrated with by Mr. Yantis and other men of 
the train, whose counsel was that all should stick together. 
But the man was obstinate and by this time had grown care- 
less of the danger from Indians, so persisted in following the 
short trail. The rest of the party proceeded on to Snake River 
fort, where there were a small company of soldiers to protect 
the emigrants. It was known that the Indians were near and 
acting ugly. Indeed, the night before the fort was reached; 
the emigrants of Mr. Yantis' party could see a band of the 
enemy dancing a war dance in a bottom of land close to the 
camp. Their horrid yells and vehement brandishing of their 
guns and bows filled the whites with terror, which was not 
abated when an Indian buck came dashing up to Mr. Yantis' 
wagon and asked him to sell his little daughter, Sarah, to 
him. The Indian offered his horse for the child, and when 
refused by the parents, rode off in a rage. The night was 
spent in anxious watchfulness, but the Indians evidently con- 
cluded that the party was too strong for them to risk an 
attack on, so left them unmolested. 

When Snake River fort was reached and it was learned 
that the two wagons, whose drivers had taken the short cut, 
had not arrived, it was known that they had met with dis- 
aster. Mr. Yantis and several men of the train went back 
over the trail their friends should have arrived from. Before 
they reached the wagons they heard shots and screams. Dash- 
ing up, their worst fears were confirmed. The Indians had 
raided the wagons, shot and killed the m^in and his wife, and 
all the rest of the party, with the exception of two boys. One 
of these boys was lying on his face when the relief party came 
up, his body shot with a number of Indian arrows. He was not 
dead, however, and upon hearing Mr. Yantis' exclamations of 
horror over the fate of the rest of the family, called: "Is 
that you. Uncle Alex." The other boy was carried off by 
the Indians, when they stampeded, upon hearing the relief 
party charging up. The lad was afterwards brought back 
to the train by a Nez Perce Indian, another tribe than the one 
which had committed the massacre of the rest of the party. 
With a redskin's customary reticence, the deliverer refused to 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 191 

give particulars of how he came to have the lad in his 
possession. 

Two years before the Yantis family, which is the subject 
of these reminiscences, decided to leave their home, a brother 
of Mr. Yantis, B. F. Yantis. and sister of these men, Mrs. X. 
Ostrander. had preceded them, coming to the Cowlitz country, 
and a little later Mr. Yantis coming on to Olympia. The 
prospects in the undeveloped Northwest looked so good to this 
advance guard that they wished their brother's family to come 
West also and locate near them. Alex Yantis had written his 
brother and sister that he intended going to California that 
summer, starting at a certain time. B. F. Yantis thought nis 
brother would miss a golden opportunity if he failed to locate 
in this section of the country, so hired a man to ride horse- 
back back along the trail his brother must come, to intercept 
him with a letter setting forth the advantages of Thurston 
County. The man rode along the trail to where it branched 
otf and led to California. Learning from other emigrants 
that the ones sought for had probably not reached this inter- 
section yet. the courier waited till the brother's train arrived. 

When ^Ir. Yantis read his brother's message, a longing to 
see his kin.sfolks came over him, and as all places in the West 
were alike to the adventurers, they decided to come on to 
Oregon — now Wa.shington. 

After carefully considering the two trails then commonl.v 
followed by emigrant trains, the Natchez Pass, or to The Dalles 
and on down the Columbia River. Mr. Yantis decided on the 
Natchez Pass. With almost incredible hardship and danger, 
the cattle were driven through this pass, and the wagons fre- 
quently having to be lowered down declivities with ropes, but 
finally the train got out on the White River plains and so on 
to the Sound country. Soon after their arrival on Bush Prairie 
Mr. Yantis located on 320 acres of fine timber land on the 
Skookumchuck. four miles from where Tenino now .stands, 
the eldest son. John Yantis. residing on this homestead after 
the death of his father and mother. 

The first home was the typical settlers' log cabin, which 
was built during the winter of 1854. During the building of 
this cabin, the Yantis family lived Avith Wm. and Phillip 
Northcraft, bachelors, and the nearest neighbors. Soon after 



192 THURSTON COUNTY 

moving into the new house, the entire country was startled by 
the Indian outbreak. The stories that came pouring in of 
homes devastated, men and women and children killed and 
general havoc, filled the settlers with alarm. A tract of lana 
on Grand Mound Prairie was donated and there the men 
assembled and built a stockade, or fort, which was known as 
Fort Henness. This enclosure was twelve feet high, built of 
solid lumber and so arranged that each family could have 
their little house within the safe precincts. In the center of the 
enclosure stood the guard house, where the men who were 
not on picket duty would assemble to warm themselves, swap 
stories and gossip. At two of the corners were block houses 
built with special reference to defense, in the event of an at- 
tack. These houses were only a few feet square at the base 
with steps leading to the upper part. Here the logs were 
longer and the upper story extended out several feet. There 
were port holes through the log wall, to shoot through, and 
these houses were of sufficient size to hold all the people in 
the event of the natives rushing the stockade. 

The Yantis family lived in this way for a year, Mr. Yantis 
and his sous going forth mornings to cultivate their fields, 
and returning to their cabin in the enclosure at night. 

While Fort Henness was never attacked by the Indians, 
the elder of the Yantis brothers are enabled to recall one ex- 
citing incident which occurred during their occupancy of the 
fort. One day an Indian woman came dashing up on her 
cayuse, with her face streaming with blood. She was closely 
pursued by an Indian buck, the latter wild with drink. When 
the fort was reached, the woman threw herself from her horse 
and ran into one of the cabins, crawling under the bed. The 
Indian, who proved to be her husband, stopped when within 
the enclosure and Mr. Yantis stepped up to his pony and 
demanded to know what was the trouble. The Indian reached 
behind him, as Mr. Yantis thought to get a gun, when the 
white man pulled him off his horse by the hair of his head. 
It afterward transpired that the Indian was reaching for a 
bottle of whiskey he had in the holster, with the intention 
of treating. 

The woman in the meantime made her escape and rode 
off across the clearing. When the husband was a little sobered 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 193 

down he started after his wife, threatening dire acts when he 
should overtake her. He had not gone far from the stockade 
when a shot was heard and, upon the men going out to inves- 
tigate, the Indian was found lying beside the trail with a bullet 
hole in his head. The men took a wagon box and covered 
the body until the Indian agent could be notified. It was 
commonly reported that the band, of which the dead Indian 
was a member, tortured the unfortunate -wife to death, as an 
example to the other squaws of the tribe never to thwart their 
lords. It was never known definitely who fired the shot 
Avhich made at least one good Indian, but at this late day it 
is shrewdly suspected that the man's name could be recalled 
by the surviving inhabitants of the fort. 

Before the Indian war Mr. Yantis had accumulated a large 
band of cattle, but he was obliged to sell and dispose of nearly 
£il the animals to support his family during these hard times. 

The wheat which Mr. Yantis raised on his place was taken 
■:o the mill in Tumwater, then a two days' journey over rou<?h, 
muddy roads, from the 'home place on the Skookumchuck. The 
grain was then ground into flour, paying the miller a toll of 
one-eighth for the milling. The farmer was allowed to keep 
the bran and shorts. 

With a family of fourteen children to sew for, a number 
of whom were girls, it was an eventful day in the Yantis 
family when the mother had her first sewing machine, one 
of those little affairs which are screwed onto the table and 
run by hand. The elder girls can not remember when they first 
learned to knit. Their mother would spin the yarn and the 
girls knit mittens and socks, which they had no trouble in 
disposing of to the bachelors living on ranches in the vicinity. 
Sometimes a pair of hand-made mittens would bring a dollar, 
and the girls wer.e enabled to add quite a little to the family 
finances in this way. 

Mr. Yantis was a member of the legislatures of 1860-63, 
county commissioner several terms, and was justice of the 
peace for his neighborhood for many years, holding the latter 
office at the time of his death, which occurred when he was 
72 years of age. The wife and mother, who had endured with 
unparalleled cheerfulness and fortitude, trials and vicissitudes 



194 THURSTON COUNTY 

enough to appall one less strong and brave of heart, ceased 
her labors in the year of 1877. 

The sons and daughters of this branch of the Yantis 
family were : Margaret, afterwards Mrs. E. K. Sears ; Ann E., 
afterwards Mrs. Wm. Martin ; Mary L., afterwards Mrs. Johi) 
F. Damon, of Seattle ; Sarah E., afterwards Mrs. A. Webster ; 
John L. ; Katherine T., afterwards Mrs. Jesse Martin ; Williant 
P.; Alexander M. ; Sophia Belle, now Mrs. L. Willey, oi" 
Olympia ; Eliza B., afterwards Mrs. S. Hanaf ord, of Hanaford 
Valley ; Martha M., afterwards Mrs. N. Gary, of Tenino ; James 
E. ; Virginia T., afterwards Mrs. H. A. Davis, of Centralia, and 
Fannie Gr. 

James E. and Fanny G-. died in infancy. 

The donation claim on the Skookumehuck, started in an 
unbroken wilderness, has become one of the finest and most 
valuable farms in Thurston County. It has always been owned 
by a Yantis, Mr. John Yantis succeeding his father as owner 
and manager. Here, surrounded by an interesting family of 
sons and daughters, in company of his wife, who has done her 
share towards building up the home, Mr. Yantis loves to recall 
once again the strenuous and exciting experiences of his boy- 
hood days. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 195 



GUST AVE ROSENTHAL 



The following sketch, by Glympia's pioneer merchant, 
gives so true and life-like a picture of early business conditions, 
that it is presented word for word as written by Mr. Rosenthal 
himself, in compliance with a request that he furnish some of 
his experiences for this volume : 

To comply with your request, I most respectfully submit 
the following: 

I arrived in Olympia on June 19th, 1863, fifty-one years 
ago this date ; made first acquaintance by being introduced to 
Governor Pickering, then chief executive of Washington Terri- 
tory. At that time the trip from San Francisco to Victoria 
cost sixty dollars, and from Victoria to Olympia cost twenty 
dollars. 

I commenced business on the corner of Second and Main 
Streets, selling general merchandise, dry goods, clothing, gro- 
ceries, hardware, crockery and glassware, boots and shoes, 
rubber goods, farm implements, etc. 

In the summer of 1869 I brought the first mowing machine, 
a Buckeye, to Olympia, and sold it to Thomas Rutledge ; also 
the first water ram for Nathan Eaton, which to my knowledge 
was in operation of late years, on the creek, the farm now 
being owned by Mrs. Bushnell. 

In those early days the farmers were not rich, and needed 
assistance. In 1866, I furnished some of them with hatchets 
and drawing knives with Mdiich to cut the hazel brush off their 
land, and by advancing supplies through the winter, they con- 
verted the sticks into barrel and keg hoops, with which I 
supplied the San Francisco sugar refineries for over twelve 
years. 

In those early days land was not being so closely fenced, 
and farmers kept large flocks of sheep. I bought their wool 
after shearing time and shipped annually from forty to sixty 



196 THURSTON COUNTY 

tons; in fact, handled and shipped and sold a good many of 
their farm products. 

At that time, it M^as hard for settlers to reach this county. 
Emigrants crossing the continent had to follow the Columbia 
River, which landed them at or near Portland, so in 1869, I 
collected a subscription — about four hundred dollars. This I 
handed to Mr. James Longmire, of Yelm Prairie, and he super- 
izitended the construction of a wagon road through the Natchez 
Pass, over the Cascade ]\Iountains. The first use of the road 
u-as made by Mr. Sam Coulter, bringing a band of cattle, which 
produced very choice beef. 

Since that time various parties have discovered different 
kinds of minerals in the Cascade Mountains, and mineral 
springs have been discovered and attractive places and health 
resorts established, and the government of the United States 
has built a fine road and designated Mount Rainier and sur- 
rounding country a park, which I suggested. 

In 1872, I opened up and developed the second coal mine 
then in Washington Territory, in Lewis County, and built a 
house there, in the shape of a blacksmith shop from which 
since grew what constitutes now the thriving city of Chehalis. 
From this mine I shipped the first train load of coal on the 
Northern Pacific Railway ever hauled over that road, to Port- 
land, Oregon ; but as the railroad did not extend beyond 
Kalama, I was compelled to reload onto scows and have them 
towed to Portland. I also sent the first trainload of coal 
over the Northern Pacific Railway they ever hauled to 
Tacoma. 

In 1873 I loaded schooners with piles to build wharves in 
San Francisco. In 1874 I furnished hewn spars and ship 
knees — paid 25 cents per inch for knees — as cargo for the ship 
W. H. Bessy loading then at Brown's wharf, at West Olympia. 
The ship sailed from here, around Cape Horn, to Goss & Sawyer 
at Bath, Maine, and the cargo proved a profitable investment 
for the consignees. 

The treasury of the city, and likewise of the county, Avas 
of small amounts. The citizens of Olympia, in 1867, wanted a 
railroad to connect with the Northern Pacific Railway at 
Tenino, so one fine day, men, women and children gathered 
at Warren's Point, held a picnic and commenced the railroad 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 197 

toward that point. I broke ground and donated forty acres 
of timber land towards the enterprise. 

In former years, and up to and including 1868, the oysters 
were sold only by Indian women, carrying a basket of a quarter 
bushel on their backs, supported by a strap across their fore- 
heads. They sold them at 25 cents per basket. I shipped some 
to Portland, San Francisco and Victoria at $1.50, which bring 
at present as high as $9.00 a sack, during the oyster season; 
hence I started the oyster business which brings an immense 
amount of money annually to the Sound country. 

On July 3, 1866, on a trip to Portland, three days of in- 
tense heat, after a cold spring, caused the Cowlitz River to 
rise to its banks, and some places overflow its banks. Canoe 
transportation being the only means of conveyance, after leav- 
ing Pumphries a short distance, the Indian pretended to scold 
at other Indians, none of whom were in sight, and as we were 
going over some riffles, the Indian said to me, "Nanitch acook 
chuck mika Mas cultus Demanimus." Translated, "See this 
water, your God is a very bad spirit." The only fellow pas- 
sengers were two children, a boy and a girl, eight and ten 
years of age. I produced an instrument from my hip pocket 
and commanded him to manage his paddle correctly, or I'd 
send him to his "Demanimus". He then apologized, saying 
he meant no harshness against me, only some Siwashes in the 
woods, and the trip continued to Monticello without additional 
events. 

Comparing the present condition of this country with 
former years, it appears more like walking into a parlor. 



198 THURSTON COUNTY 



JOHN HENRY WILLIAM STERNBERG 



When E. S. Salomon, who had just been appointed Gov- 
ernor of Washington Territory, arrived in Olympia, he was 
accompanied by a number of men whose names have since be- 
come prominently identified with the history of the Capital 
city. Such men as Major J. S. Hayden, Ross Gr. O'Brien, 
Philip Hiltz, and the subject of this sketch, John H. W. 
Sternberg. 

j\Ir. Sternberg was a native of Germany, having been born 
there in 1825. When still a young man, he bade adieu to the 
Fatherland and came to America, settling in Chicago, where 
he soon acquired considerable property. He was a furrier 
by trade and a superior workman. Governor Salomon in- 
duced Sternberg to come to Washington Avith his party and 
establish himself in the fur trading business. With visions of 
wealth and rapidly acquired fortune to be gained in the West 
through bartering with the Indians for the furs of wild ani- 
mals which were so plentiful before the march of civilization 
drove them to the remote parts of the mountains, Sternberg 
accepted Salomon's offer. 

Mrs. Sternberg and four children were left behind in the 
home in Chicago, but after Salomon had been in Olympia a 
couple of years, he engaged Mr. Sternberg to return to Chicago 
and organize a colony to emigrate to Puget Sound. Salomon 
realized that the vast resources of this country imperatively 
demanded more men and women to develop them and subdue 
the wilderness. As an organizer, Mr. Sternberg was very 
successful, and upon his return, was accompanied by a con- 
siderable number of emigrants. INIrs. Salomon and ]Mrs. Stern- 
berg also came out with this party. 

The trip was made by rail on the second train making the 
transcontinental trip. When Oakland was reached the party 
embarked on the steamer Idaho with Capt. Doane. This was 
the last sea trip of this doughty old sea captain, as after that 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 199 

he settled down in Oiympia and started the famous Home 
of the Pan Roast. 

When the colonists reached Steilacoom, the majority of 
them remained at the military post at that place. Governor 
Salomon had made arrangements for their support, until the 
men could locate on homesteads. In addition to this encour- 
agement, the homeseekers were supplied with teams, farming 
implements and supplies, payment to be made out of the crops 
as the settlers were able. 

Mr. and Mrs. Sternberg's first experiences upon the family 
reaching Oiympia were boarding for several weeks at the old 
Gallagher Hotel, and both the husband and wife were confined 
to their beds for several weeks with fever. 

Later they went to housekeeping in a cottage situated 
on the block bounded by Eighth and Ninth, Adams and Jeffer- 
son Sreets. 

]\Ir. Sternberg now began bu^dng furs from the Indians, 
making extensive voyages up and down the Sound, even going 
as far as Bellingham in his canoe. Mink, wolf, bear, sable and 
muskrat skins were bought or traded for and made up into 
fashionable wearing apparel by the skilled workman, although 
the bulk of Mr. Sternberg's stock of furs were sent by boat to 
Eastern markets. He once made a cape from sable skins for 
Mrs. Salomon that was valued, even in those days, at one 
thousand dollars, and would be almost priceless toda.y. In all 
his dealings with the Indians, Mr. Sternberg always met with 
honesty, courtesy and fair dealing. 

Priests Point Mission was at this time deserted by the 
band of Oblat priests and the Sternberg family moved from 
town to the Mission. 

The buildings were falling into decay, all but the chapel. 
This Mr. Sternberg partitioned off into living rooms and the 
family took possession. 

Mrs. Sophia Sternberg, in relating her experiences, de- 
scribes the life there as lonely and dreary, almost beyond en- 
durance. The windows were so high in the church walls 
that it was impossible to look out without standing on a chair. 
There was no road to town, only a rough trail; no neighbors 
within a mile, and to add to the loneliness, an Indian cemetery 
was within a few feet of the church, beside the trail. The 



200 



THURSTON COUNTY 



bodies were fastened in the tree tops on rude platforms, as 
was the savage manner of disposing of the dead. 

At one time, while lying sick on a platform down by the 
beach, which Mr. Sternberg had built for his wife, she saw a 
deer come almost up to her bed, and frequently the wild ani- 
mals would come to the border of their clearing. 

Tiring of this lonely way of living the Sternbergs re- 
turned to Olympia and built the house on Union Street whicli 
was the Sternberg home for many years. Here Mr. Sternberg 
died, on May 6, 1893. 

The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Sternberg are : William, 
Minnie, Julius and Dora, born in Chicago, and Emma and 
Oscar, born in Olympia. 

William died in the summer of 1914 in Kansas City. 
Minnie died in Olympia many years ago. Julius makes his 
home in Alaska. Dora is now Mrs. L. B. Faulknor. Emma 
is Mrs. Albert Darling, and Oscar lives in Seeattle. 

Mrs. Sophia Sternberg makes her home with Mr. and Mrs. 
Darling, 





C1,ANRICK CROSBY 



A. S. YANTIS 





PHII^IP NORTHCRAFT WII,I^IAM BIi,L,INGS 

DKIvATE TILLICUMS 




JUDGE O. B. McFADDEN 




ROBERT FROST 





REESE BREWER THEODORE BROWN 

MORE TlIvIvICUM-S 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 201 



ROBERT FROST 



Robert Frost, or Judge Frost, as his friends best know 
this sturdy Pioneer, sailor, artizan, Indian fighter, merchant, 
capitalist, judge of the police court, holding office in Thurston 
County, has led a varied and, at times, exciting career. Born 
in Tunbridge Wells, England, in the year of 1825, the subject 
of this sketch grew to 3^oung manhood in Merrie England, 
going to school in London. Being apprenticed to learn the 
plasterer's trade, there was little in his early boyhood life 
to indicate what an eventful career lay before him. 

In 1853, the desire to see the world and share in the big 
things of life, induced the young man to leave home and 
enlist as a sailor. His first seafaring experience was on a coal 
brig running along the English coast. Later he shipped on a 
fruit schooner bound for Mediterranean ports. Then on a 
deep sea vessel visiting both the Atlantic and Pacific ports. 

San Francisco was reached on one of his voyages in 1855. 
He then re-shipped on the brig Susan Abigail for Portland, 
Oregon, crossing the Columbia bar on New Year's day, 1856. 
Arriving at Portland, the prospects of the new country were 
so alluring to him that he decided to quit his seafaring life 
and cast his fortune in the Northwest. 

Mr. Frost began again working at his trade of plasterer 
in Portland, Oregon City and The Dalles. It was while work- 
ing in this latter town that he became excited over the stories 
received of the big strikes made on the Frazer River. Every- 
one who could muster up an outfit was going to the gold fields, 
80 the young man joined the Dave McLaughlin party of 100 
men and started on what proved to be one of the most thrilling 
experiences of his life. The story of this excursion is given 
in Mr. Frost's own words at the end of this sketch. 

Disgusted with the result of his mining experience, our 
hero decided to come to Olj^mpia. The first work IMr. Frost 
engaged in upon his arrival here was in a printing office. 



202 THURSTON COUNTY 

Although he kept at this for three years, the road to wealth 
nor fame did not lie that way, so he returned to the following 
of his boyhood trade. As the town was rapidly building up 
and the wages paid for plasterers was good, he soon had a 
financial start, which later grew into a quite respectable 
competence. 

In 1870, Mr. Frost purchased an interest in the hardware 
store of F. A. Hotfman and under the firm name of Hoffman 
& Frost continued in business for the following three years. 
At the end of that time Mr. Frost became sole owner of the 
business. The hardware store of Robert Frost Avas one of the 
prominent business places in the Capital City for upwards 
of 30 years. Later the owner disposed of the store and be- 
came County Treasurer. This office he held for a couple of 
terms and has since been elected and appointed several times 
to the office of Police Judge. 

Mr. Frost was one of the original stockholders of the 
first gas works and electric plant in the city, and upon its 
consolidation with the Olympia Light & Power Company, he 
was elected Vice President. At one time Mr. Frost was a 
director of the First National Bank. These are only a few 
of the important positions of trust and honor he has held in 
the city. In the year 1862, Mr. Frost married Miss Louisa 
Holmes, the daughter of one of Olympia 's Pioneers. The 
young couple built themselves the home on East Bay Avenue 
which has been the Frost home ever since. Here, Mrs. Frost 
died and here were born their four children — Nell, Caroline, 
Florence and Anna. Florence is now Mrs. Charles Garfield 
of Nome Alaska, Anna is Mrs. John Aldrich of Spokane, 
Caroline died at the family home a few years ago, and the 
remaining daughter, Miss Frost, keeps house and cares for 
her father in his declining years. 

An account of a trip from The Dalles, Oregon, to the 
Frazer River, at the time of the gold excitement in 1858, in- 
cluding a description of an Indian fight on the trip, was written 
by Mr. Frost, and is now preserved in the Spokane Historical 
Society and the historical collection belonging to the State 
University of Washington. The description of the fight is 
given with a clearness and excellent choice of Avords that show 
the writer was possessed of a considerable literary abilit}^ 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 203 

After describing the incidents of the trip, Mr. Frost 
relates : 

"We struck the Columbia River opposite the mouth of 
the Okanogan River, at which place was the old Hudson Bay 
fort. Here we had to get canoes and Indians to ferry us and 
our supplies over, and there w^e had to swim our horses. We 
lost three or four horses in the stream. I was unfortunate 
enough to lose my best horse. I felt then as if I had lost 
my best friend. I had bought the horse from an Indian at 
V/alla Walla, perfectly wild and unbroken, but in three or 
four days I had him a perfect pet. He would follow me around 
and when I stopped would come and put his head on my 
shoulder for a caress. After all these years I have not, and 
never shall forget him. 

"The old Hudson Bay trail, which we were following 
up the Okanogan River, was first on one side of the river 
and then on the other. One morning we were on the right 
bank, when we came to a rocky bluff which ran out to the 
river, so we had to make a detour to the right and go through 
what is now known as McLaughlin Canyon, before we could 
get to the river again. I have not seen this canyon since, but 
as I remember it, it is quite narrow^, with high perpendicular 
walls, with natural terraces or benches, only accessible from 
the northern end. At the southern end it was an utter im- 
possibility to get at any one on these benches except with a 
rifle. 

"Now, evidently, the Indians had their runners out and 
were prepared for us, for they had gotten on to these benches, 
threw up rock breastworks, and laid for us. 

"Every morning in starting out we had a head and a 
rear guard, generally from six to ten men in each. We would 
change about. This morning I was in the rear. The head 
guard had gotten well into the canyon, as w^ell as part of the 
train. The object of the Indians was to get us all in the canyon. 
Had they succeeded, very few of us would have gotten out 
alive. 

"As it was, an Indian on one of the benches showed him- 
self and one of the head guard saw him and gave the alarm. 
Then they opened fire. As quick as possible the horses were 
hurried back to the river and all took what shelter they could 



204 THURSTON COUNTY 

get, and drew a bead on an Indian whenever a chance offered. 
After the animals were down on the flat every available man 
with a gun went up to the front. 

"There were six killed in the start. I do not remember 
their names excepting one, Jesse Rice, from Cashe Creek, 
California. 

"There were several wounded. I recollect Tom Menefee. 
who was afterward well known to Cariboo men, having kept 
a road house at Williams Lake. Tom was badly wounded — 
shot in several places with slugs, also William R. Wright, a 
brother of Capt. Tom Wright, a prominent steamboat man on 
the Sound, and Jim Lowry from Vancouver. 

"Jim was badly shot, and here occurred an instance of 
bravery such as is seldom equalled. Lowry and Bill Burton 
were partners, and were the first to take shelter, Indian 
fashion and fight. They were some 200 yards apart, sheltered 
by some scrub pines, but LoAvry was shot down. As he fell, 
he called to Brunton, who deliberately left his cover, ran over 
to his partner and picked him up, got him on his shoulder 
and carried him to the rear. 

"About noon we had to give way and retreat to a little 
hill across from the canyon, from where the men plugged 
long shots that afternoon and night. The rest were engaged 
in building cottonwood rafts and carrying the freight across 
the river into the open countr3^ An Indian will never fight 
in the open unless he has all the advantage possible. Several 
of our men were busy carrying water to our men on the hill 
side. 

"During the night we ferried everything across the river 
and by daylight had the horses herded together. We run them 
down the river a few hundred yards to a ford and got them 
safely across. The Indians followed us in a parallel along the 
mountain and gave us a parting volley, but did no damage, 
as the range was too long. We stayed in camp here several 
days attending to our wounded. Now, it is well known that 
the average sailor is very handy and a good all around man 
most anywhere. We had in our company an Irish sailor, who 
had been in the English navy and who had been through the 
Crimean war at Sebastopol. 

"He was the nearest we had to a doctor. Several of the 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 



205 



boys had along a box of pills. He selected one and gave each 
wounded man a dose, then made a clean pointed stick to probe 
the wounds enough to keep them open, and after washing 
them laid a pad of wet cloth on the wounds. The 'doctor' 
would go around twice or more a day and probe and wash 
and he, with the pills, stick, cloth and water did the whole 
business. They all got well, but it took Manefee the longest 
to get over it. 

"We kept our guards out all night, and on the second 
day we knew the Indians had broken up so far as this point 
was concerned, as we could see them in small parties working 
down the plain to the Chelan and Columbia Rivers. I think 
it was on the third day after the battle that a party of our 
men went up on the west side, well armed and with tools, to 
bury the dead. They crossed the river at the north end of 
the canyon, entered it, met with no resistance and came to 
our unfortunate dead comrades. The Indians had stripped 
them of everything and mutilated their bodies. They were 
buried the best that could be done under the circumstances." 



205 THURSTON COUNTY 



D. R. BIGELOW 



The name of D. R. Bigelow has held a prominent and 
honored place among^ Thurston Couunty Pioneers since the 
3'ear 1851, when he first an-ived in Olympia, having, like his 
contemporaries, made the trip from his boyhood's home in 
Wisconsin in an ox wagon. 

He was a graduate of a law school and upon his ar- 
riving here hung out his shingle, meeting with such success 
that he soon had a considerable clientage. 

When Washington Territory was set apart from Oregon, 
the young man was sent to Salem to codifj^ the laws for the 
new Territory. Mr. Bigelow was a member of the first Terri- 
torial Legislature, and enjoyed the distinction of having de- 
livered the first Fourth of July oration ever made in Wash- 
ington. These exercises were held in the first school house 
in Olympia, which was built on the hill on the block of land 
now bounded by Fifth, Sixth, Washington and Franklin 
Streets. The school house was crushed down the following 
winter during a heavy fall of snow. 

Mr. Bigelow died in 1905 survived by his widow and seven 
children. 

Mrs. Bigelow 's reminiscences of her trip across the plains 
and her early experiences on the frontier were interesting 
and often thrilling. 

That she came from sturdy stock is evidenced by the 
bravery of her mother, Mrs. William White, who, with her five 
children, among them being Mrs. Bigelow, then a young girl 
of fourteen years of age, came across the plains to join her 
husband, who had come West the previous year, 1850. 

Mr. White wrote back to his wife in Wisconsin that if 
possible she was to sell the farm and join him in Oregon. This 
the plucky woman prepared to do, and after disposing of all 
their property, buying a couple of ox teams and such pro- 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 207 

Tisions and outfitting as she deemed they woiikl most need in 
their new home, proceeded to St. Joe, Missouri. 

In speaking of the start along the Oregon Trail, Mrs. 
Bigelow said: 

"All the men started walking out of St. Joe beside their 
teams, with guns over their shoulders and ox whips in their 
hands, but before they had gone half the way to Platte Cross- 
ing the guns were put back in the wagons and the whips were 
almost worn out." 

Although this train had many alarms, they were not mo- 
lested by the Indians throughout the entire trip. Several 
times teams before them and those following after were set 
upon by the Indians and the people massacred, and the horses 
and oxen driven off, but their train seemed almost to be under 
a special protection. Many a time they would see an ox skull 
set up alongside the road bearing the grewsome warning, "Be- 
ware the Indians." 

One day, Mrs. Bigelow relates, they came upon a wagon 
stranded in the middle of the road, the mules unhitched, and 
on the wagon tongue sat a man crying like a six-year-old child. 
Halting her wagon beside him, Mrs. Bigelow asked the man 
the cause of his woe. He did not reply at once, but a tired, 
tearful woman looked out from the covered wagon and 
vrhimpered : "Joe says he won't go another step without a 
drink of water." Mrs. White fortunately had a jug of water 
in her wagon, and although the; liquid was almost hot, she 
gave Joe a drink. He seemed to pluck up courage after this 
wetting of his thirsty gullet, and from the companionship, and 
proceeded on with the train to a camping spot. 

When the John Day country was reached, the White 
family were delighted to meet the husband and father, who, 
with a fresh team, had started to meet his wife and children. 
When they arrived at the Columbia River the women and 
children, with the wagons, were loaded on bateaus manned by 
Kanakas and floated down the river to the Upper Cascades, 
above The Dalles. 

Arriving in Portland the emigrant train disbanded, the 
White family making their home there for the following year. 
Later the family came to Puget Sound, taking up a donation 
claim on Chambers Prairie. 



208 THURSTON COUNTY 

The first experience of Mrs. White and her daughter, 
upon their arrival at Tumwater, is well worth relating. When 
the family reached that place Mr. White told the women to 
take their horses and ride on ahead along the trail till they 
reached the home he had prepared for them on the donation 
claim, while he would follow at a slower pace with the oxen. 
Full of glad anticipation of at last enjoying a real home, Mrs. 
White and the young girl set out along the trail. When they 
came out to the prairie they were surrounded by a band of 
probably 100 Spanish cattle. The prairie at that time was 
covered with roving bands of these long horned animals. The 
horses stood still with fright and the ring of cattle crowded 
closer and closer around the terror-stricken women. The 
brutes clashed their immense horns, bellowed and pawed up 
the earth, always croAvding nearer and nearer. When the 
women were almost fainting with fright, David Chambers, the 
owner of the cattle, hearing the disturbance, came to their 
assistance, calmly going among the herd and shooing the beasts 
away like so many tame hens. 

At the beginning of the Indian war, Mr. White was killed 
by the hostile Indians while walking behind a cart, in which 
were Mrs. White and her sister, Mrs. Stewart. Each woman 
had a little child in her arms. The Indians came out from 
the brush and attacked White. He gave the horse a sharp 
cut, which started it running towards the White home. This 
spared the lives of the women and children. But they killed 
Mr. White, after a fearful struggle which he made for his 
life. His body was found the next morning, horribly mutilated 
by the Indians, who, under the leadership of Yelm Jim, had 
taken advantage of the fact that White was unarmed and 
alone with the women and the children. It was thought at 
the time that had Mr. White stood in a little more fear of the 
Indians his life would not have been sacrificed, but he could 
not believe that the alarming reports of their treachery and 
hostility to the white settlers were founded upon actual fact, 
so never carried a gun or other defensive weapon. The death 
of Mr. White was one of the tragedies of those trying times. 

Mrs. Bigelow, then IMiss White, was the first school teacher 
in Thurston County, and the first institution of learning was 
the school she conducted in a small bed room in the Pack- 




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PIONEER REMINISCENCES 209 

wood residence, on their claim on Nesqually bottom. The 
pupils were the children of the Packwoods, the Shasers and 
the McAllisters, which were all there were within travelling 
distance to the school. 

"Teacher" boarded with the Packwoods during- the week, 
but every Friday evening she rode on horseback to her parents' 
home on Chambers Prairie. The curriculum taught was prob- 
ably limited to the three "Rs" and there was absolutely no 
school room furnishing or equipment. The children sat around 
on benches in the room wherever they chose. For teaching 
this school with all its attendant hardships, the j^oung girl 
received the munificent sum of $20 a month. 

Mrs. Bigelow had many thrilling incidents to relate, which 
happened to her during the lonely rides between her school 
and parents' home. 

In 1854 Miss White was married to the young lawyer, 
D. R. Bigelow, the bride and groom taking their wedding 
,]0urney on horseback from the White home, to what has been 
known as the Bigelow addition for over half a century. The 
young couple avoided coming through Olympia, as Mr. Bigelow 
had learned that a number of his young men friends had 
planned to give the newly weds a rousing reception when they 
reached town. The ringleader of the jolly gang was Jim Hurd, 
Bigelow 's most intimate man friend. He had procured the 
cannon which figures so prominently in the reminiscences of 
all the Pioneers of those days, and which was kept in readiness 
to repel Indian attacks. Jim stood on guard v\'ith this ancient 
cannon loaded to the danger limit, ready to give a rousing 
salute when Mr. Bigelow and his bride should appear. By 
slipping around by a trail which Bigelow had cut to his home 
they escaped the demonstration and the laugh was on the 
assembled eroAvd who waited till dark for the young couple to 
appear. 

Mr. Bigelow purchased a quarter of the donation claim 
which he owned for many years. A donation claim was just 
a mile square. The other purchasers of the Caulkins claim 
were C. H. Hale and Miles Gallagher. The Young Bigelows' 
first married home was, in Mrs. Bigelow 's own words: "A 
two-room mansion, built of hand-split lumber with puncheon 



210 THURSTON COUNT V 

floors. A tiny cook stove, six plain chairs, a primitive bed- 
stead and table comprised our 'setting out'." 

No bridge was there over what is now known as the 
Swantown fill, and the only way to reach the Bigelow home 
was by canoe or rowboat from Olympia. Later a pontoon foot- 
bridge was strung across the arm of the bay where the Olympia 
Theater now stands. 

When the Indian war broke out the Bigelows came to 
town for safety, making their home in the block house for 
several weeks. 

One evening, soon after their return to their home, Mrs. 
Bigelow was sitting alone in her kitchen, still nervous and 
afraid, when she heard a noise in the front room, and on look- 
ing around, was almost petrified with fear at the sight of a 
big, blanketed Indian's form which filled the doorway. It 
proved, however, to be Betty Edgar, a friendly squaw, married 
to a white man. She was looking for her half breed children 
who were late getting home. Mrs. Bigelow told of another 
scare she had endured from the Indians. One evening was 
seen a large number of Indian canoes coming up the bay. 
Each canoe was filled with braves in war dress. The men 
hastily assembled for protection and the women, who were too 
far away to seek refuge within the block house, prepared to 
flee to the woods for hiding. 

Mrs. Bigelow had a young baby by this time, and in her 
excitement she snatched a carpetbag and began stowing in it 
such articles as she thought would be most needed. She 
laughingly said, "a heterogeneous lot went into that satchel — 
a loaf of bread, some of the baby's things, some of my own 
clothing, etc." But before long the men returned with the 
reassuring news that the Indians were on a peaceful errand. 
It proved to be Pat Kanim and his braves, coming to deliver 
up their guns in accordance with the terms of the peace treaty 
made between Governor Stevens and this Indian chief. 

The Bigelows have always been prominently identified 
with the Methodist Church, and even when living on Chambers 
Prairie, Mrs. Bigelow would ride on horseback the twelve 
miles to Olympia to attend divine service. 

When she was married to Mr. Bigelow, one of the town 
jokes was that the last white girl in the county was married 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 



211 



the town wit getting in his work on the family name as he 
does to this day. 

Eight children were bom to Mr, and INIrs. Bigelow : Tirzah, 
now Mrs. Royal; Eva, now Mrs. Bonney; Ruth, now Mrs. 
Wright; Ellis, Duncan, Ray, George and Margaret. With 
the exception of Ellis, who died several years ago, and Mrs. 
Bonney, who lives in Tacoma, all the children live in Olympia 
and immediate vicinity. 

The Bigelow name has always been honored and respected 
and in the stirring days of his prime D. R. Bigelow was one 
of the prominent men of the Northwest, and the sons and 
daughters have been a credit to their parents. 



212 THURSTON COUNTY 



GEORGE W. MILLS 



There is none more to be honored among Thurston County 
pioneers than Mr. George W. Mills, who for the past fifty 
odd years has made his home in Tumwater, South Union, 
and later, in his declining years, in Olympia. ]\Ir. ]\Iills was 
a native of Illinois, having first seen the light of day in that 
State in 1833. Here he grew to young manhood, and when 
little more than a boy married Isabel Fleming, two years his 
junior. In Mr. Mills' own words, ''We were but children 
when we started out in our married life." A few years after 
their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Mills went to the then Territory 
of Missouri, but had hardly settled there before the Civil War 
was declared. The young man organized Company G, 11th 
Missouri cavalry, and was elected second lieutenant by his 
company. Mr. ilills was very modest about his military career, 
but from other sources comes the story of a dashing bravery 
when in active service which may well be a source of pride 
to his sons and daughters. The principal engagement he took 
part in was the Kirksville charge. In this battle there were 
many killed and wounded, and while Mr. Mills was recounting 
his story of the engagement, something of the fire and spirit 
of his youthful days flamed in his eyes and animated his 
form. 

Ov>'ing to illness ]\Ir. I\Iills was obliged to resign from the 
company before the completion of the war. Among the clearest 
recollections Mr. Mills was enabled to relate, was listening to 
one of the now historic debates between Abraham Lincoln and 
Stephen A. Douglass. His word picture of the appearance of 
these famous characters was clearcut and vivid. Mr. Mills had 
a personal acquaintance with Lincoln, and loved to tell about 
what an "ugly, raw-boned figure of a man the rail-splitter 
really was," although with a certain majesty and dignity which 
impressed the young man even in those days. 

As the war had brought bitter hard times to ]\Iissouri and 




GEORGE W. MIIvIvS AND WIFE 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 213 

the cry of gold to be had for the piclving up came from Cali- 
fornia, the young couple decided to go to the gold fields and 
-gather their share. There were several children by this time, 
but they were all hardy and strong, and their parents full 
•of hope and confidence. Fitting up a light spring wagon for 
the family to ride in and with an ox team to haul the provisions 
and the very few household furnishings that were deemed 
absolutely necessary, the start was made for the land of 
promise. 

When the upper crossing on the Platte River, on the old 
Oregon Trail, was reached, they were halted by a company 
of soldiers stationed there to protect the emigrants from the 
Indians, who were on the warpath, and had taken several 
trains of emigrants along the road, killing the people and 
burning the Avagons. As small trains of wagons rolled up 
they were detained by the military officers until a sufficient 
number should have congregated to form a strong enough 
company to resist an ordinary attack from the bands of In- 
dians who roved at will over the plains. As the emigrants 
arrived, "Oregon, Oregon," was the cry. No one except the 
Mills family seemed to want to go to California. Mr. IMills. 
after consulting the officers of the company, w^as advised to 
join these Oregon-bound emigrants and go with them into 
that country. It was pointed out to him that all places in 
the West were about alike in advantages, but if, after reach- 
ing Oregon, he did not wish to remain there, he could then 
proceed on down to California. There seemed to be no alter- 
native, so the young couple joined the Oregon-ward march. 
By this time enough emigrants had arrived at the crossing 
to make a train of sixty wagons and three buggies. Owing 
to Mr. Mills' military training and his commanding person- 
ality, he was unanimously elected captain of the train, or mJli- 
'tary director. Regular drills were held to teach the men how 
to corrall the wagons and prepare to withstand an attack, 
should the Indians make their appearance. Five and a half 
weary months of travelling followed, with the usual story of 
bitter hardships endured with uncomplaining fortitude by these 
sturdy men and women. Many and harrowing were the ex- 
periences undergone, and the fear of Indian assault was ever 
present. This fear was founded upon several terrilde re- 



214 THURSTON COUNTY 

minders of the possible fate of the adventurers. Two or three 
times the train was halted to give the men time to inter the 
remains of victims of the Indians' wanton massacre. 

One day, ]\Ir. Mills related, they came upon what had 
evidently been the scene of a battle. The remains of a 
burned wagon was in the road, with w^hat had been its contents 
scattered over the plain. A few feet from the side of the 
road was a hastily-formed mound of loose dirt and sod. Be- 
tween two clods of earth, which were not closely packed down, 
streamed the long tresses of a woman's hair. The locks were 
of a beautiful brown color and of great abundance. From 
the size and shape of the mound it was evident that there 
were two forms under the earth, and the most pathetic sight 
of all, on top of the rude grave, curled up as though asleep, 
was the form of a tiny spaniel. There was no inscription or 
sign of any kind to tell who were here buried, but the gen- 
eral conjecture was that here were the remains of a husband 
and wife, who had been murdered by the Indians, their com- 
panions only taking time to throw a little earth over their 
forms before fleeing for their own lives. The little dog was 
probably the pet of the dead, and instinctively knew that his 
friends were sleeping there, so had stayed by them until death 
came from starvation. 

When Oregon was finally reached and the emigrant train 
disbanded, the Mills family settled in Yamhill County, where 
Mr. j\Iills went to farming. Here, the following winter, was 
born their son, George G. Mills. 

The next spring, encouraged by letters from a former 
neighbor, who had come to Puget Sound the previous year, 
they decided to come on to this county. Packing the wife 
and children into a wagon drawn by a span of mules, they 
started for the Sound, arriving in 1865. 

When they reached Tumwater and Mrs. Mills beheld the 
salt water before her, with the great forest on all sides, she 
said : ' ' Well, Pa, this is the jumping off place. We haven 't 
the money to go back; we can go no further, so we've just got 
to stay here." And stay they did. 

For the first three and a half years in the new home Mr. 
Mills was head sawyer at Ward's mill, at the upper Tumwater 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 215 

Falls, At about this time Jesse T., the youngest child of Mr. 
and Mrs. Mills, was born, 

A few years later the couple bought forty acres of land 
at South Union, six miles from Tumwater. ]\Ir. ]\Iills said this 
land was only bought after earnest consideration, for they 
well knew that the country was developing so rapidly that if 
they went further back in the wilderness and took up a home- 
stead of good soil, such as was to be had for the asking at 
that time, they would in the long run be better off financially, 
but Mrs. Mills plead: "Let's give the children a chance. 
We owe it to them not to get away from schooling advan- 
tages." Even then there was a fairly good rustic school at 
South Union, and as the children, one by one, acquired the 
knowledge taught there, they were sent into Olympia to get 
further educational advantages. Mary, George and Jesse were 
graduates of the Olympia Collegiate Institute. 

When the land at South Union was first bought it was 
covered with the forest primeval. Mr. Mills' first work was to 
cut down big trees enough to clear a building site for his 
house. In course of time, and through the heart-breaking labor 
which the development of wild forest land calls for, the farm 
was gradually cleared, a good nine-room house erected, and 
the Mills place at South Union became one of the most valu 
able farms in the county. 

In the year 1882 Mr. Mills was made industrial instructor 
at the Indian school at Chehalis, teaching the Indian boys thi 
rudiments of several trades. ]\Irs. Mills accompanied her 
husband with such of her children as were not attending 
school in Olympia. Among the pupils in the school was Jesse 
Mills, a ring-leader in all the sports, and undoubtedly much 
of the mischief, perpetrated by the dusky lads. As he was 
constantly associated with the Indians, and they were prac- 
tically his only playmates, the youngster readily acquired a 
proficient knowledge of not only in the Chinook jargon, but 
the Indian language as well. Consequently, when an Indian 
parent would come to enquire regarding the progress and 
welfare of their offspring. Jesse was frequently called in as 
interpreter. 

At the end of four and a half years, the Mills family re- 
turned to their farm at South Union, but had only been there 



216 THURSTOISr COUNTY 

a few weeks, Avlien tlie Indian agent plead with Tdr. Mills to 
take charge of the Indian school at Skykoraish. This ser- 
vice lasted eighteen months, when Mr. ]\Iills was relieved and 
again took up his residence on the farm. 

At the time of Mr. Mills' arrival in Tnmwater, that set- 
tlement was more of a town than Olympia, and there was 
only a muddy trail connecting the two towns. From where- 
Masonic Temple now stands, in Olympia, to Tnmwater Falls, 
there was the untouched forest, and on about the spot where 
the George Israel home is now built was an Indian village the 
inmates of which hunted big game in the immediate neigh- 
borhood. 

Mr. Mills tells that many a night after his day's work in 
the saw mill, he and ]Mrs. Mills would take a lantern and 
flounder along the trail to Olympia, to trade out his pay 
checks at the Percival store. There was very little ready 
money in circulation and the cost of all commodities was 
very high, flour selling for $2 a sack of forty-nine pounds, 
or $50 a barrel, with sugar, butter, coffee, bacon and other 
necessaries in proportion. As everything was brought around 
+he Horn in sailing vessels, these prices were probably not 
excessive, all things considered. 

"Well, we had jolly times in those days," said i\Ir. Mills. 
"We were like one family. If one was in trouble it was the 
concern of all. We shared in each others' joys and sympa- 
thized in each others' sorrows. 

"Our principal amusements were dancing in the winter 
and picnics in the summer. Then a dance was a dance. Be- 
ginning early in the evening and lasting all night, till morn- 
ing brought light enough to see the trails leading to our 
homes. And those good old dances — Old Dan Tucker, basket 
quadrille. Cheater's swing, polkas, mazurkas, firemens' quad- 
rille — where are they now? I never heard the word tango 
nor saw a meditation waltz in my day, but think we had just 
as much fun at our gatherings as they do now — maybe more. 

"Of all the men with whom I was associated in a business 
way wdien I first came to the country. I can think of but five 
who are still living— Robert Frost, John Murphy, Gus Rosen- 
thal, Tom Prather and P. D. Moore." 

Mr. Mills tells with reminiscent glee of one of the pranks 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 217 

of his younger days. In 1868 political sentiment between the 
Whig party and the Democratic party was very decided, and 
party spirit very bitter. The election of a Territorial Delegate 
to Congress was imminent. Alvin Flanders of Vancouver — 
Whig — was running against Francis Clark — Democrat — of Ta- 
coma. When the news of Flanders' election reached us, Tum- 
water went wild. Speedily congregating, the Republicans se- 
cured a number of disused saws from the mill. By striking 
these with hammers and iron bars a noise horrible enough to 
wake the dead resulted. Tin cans and horse fiddles added their 
notes to the horrid din. After parading through the blocks of 
Tumwater streets, it was then for Olympia. Down by Crosby's 
mill went the jolly boys, along the trail to the bluff above Tum- 
water. Here was peacefully grazing the Biles' family cow. 
Her big brass bell was soon added to the orchestra's force. 

When the noisy procession was about half way to Olympia 
they met two foppishly dressed young young men riding on 
livery horses. They were stopped and their political convic- 
tions demanded. As they did not reply, but seemed frightened 
at the demonstrations, they were allowed to proceed on their 
way after the enthusiasts had given them three rousing groans 
and some mighty uncomplimentary remarks as a parting. 

When Olympia was reached the procession was swelled by 
the faithful of that burg. As they paraded up and down the 
streets a stop was made before every place of business as well 
as every dwelling house. In those days there was no side step- 
ping, or hiding one's political affiliations, and every man had 
to stand squarely on his party's platform. Consequently it was 
pretty well known just how each and every man had voted. So 
as the parade passed the house of one of the faithful a stop 
would be called and three rousing cheers given for the Whig, 
but when a Democrats' habitat was reached the inmates were 
greeted with three fearful groans. 

When the town had been properly greeted the wild gang 
started back for Tumwater. They stopped on the corner of 
what is now Fifteenth and Main Streets to inform Colonel 
Cock of the result of the election. 

Cock had just returned from a trip east of the mountains, 
where he had been buying cattle. He had not alighted from 
his horse when the boys came up. He was a very excitable man. 



21g THURSTON COUNTY 

and when it was told him that the Whigs had won ont he simply 
went wild. Jumping from his horse in the middle of the road 
he threw his hat down and stamped it into the mud. 

Just as his frenzy was at its height, the same couple of 
fops who had been met a few hours previousl.y came riding up. 
One of them sprang from the horse and rushed into Cock's arms. 
A closer inspection showed the astonished men that the sup- 
posed dudes were Mrs. Cock and Mrs. Rice Tilley. The two 
young womeii had thought it would be a lark to dress up in 
men's clothes and ride out to meet Mr. Cock. They took the 
wrong road, however, and missed him, and were returning 
home. Explanations and apologies were in order. 

"My wife died in 1907," proceeded Mr. Mills, "after we 
had lived together 54 years, and if ever a man lost a faithful. 
loving companion I did when she was laid away. She was a 
good wife and devoted mother. I miss her every day of my 
life and one of my few pleasures is going to her last resting 
place and looking at the spot I shall occupy by her side. T 
have finished my work and only wait the last summons. I am 
proud of my children, none of whom have ever caused me 
humiliation or shame. They are all honorable men and women, 
respected in the community where they reside. ' ' 

The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Mills were : Sarah. 
afterwards Mrs. Sales, of Seattle ; Kate, Mrs. Reynolds of Olym- 
pia; James and John, still of Tumwater; jMary, Mrs. Hunting- 
ton, of The Dalles, Oregon; Lora, afterwards Mrs. Greene of 
this city; Fannie, Mrs. Meyers, now living inOakville; and 
George and Jesse, of Olympia. JMrs. Reynolds and INIrs. Greene 
are no longer living. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 219 



W. O. THOMPSON 



One of the most remarkable examples of the sturdy 
Pioneer, is W. 0. Thompson, who, at the ripe age of 90, still 
steps forth briskly, with eyes bright and quick and with a keen 
intelligence relates his experiences in crossing the Oregon Trail 
in 1850 and his adventures after reaching Thurston County, 
with a clearness and conciseness which was a delight. In 
"Black Lak6" Thompson's own words: 

"I was born in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, in 1821:, being 
of Scotch descent on my father's side. My mother belonged 
to the aristocratic family— the Culbertsons. My people were 
possessed of considerable of this world's means and sent me 
to a private school taught by a Catholic priest, who was 
refused orders on account of dissipated habits. One day he 
became angry with me, and struck me, first on one side of 
my head and then the other, with the result I have had im- 
paired hearing ever since. Later I was sent to the school 
taught by a Scotch Presbyterian minister, who was in the habit 
of maintaining discipline by the use of a cat-o-nine-tails. . 

''Soon after this the first public, or state school, was 
started, presided over by a college-bred teacher, and my edu- 
cation progressed satisfactorily. 

"When I was ten years old^ I won a prize for my penman- 
ship, much to my delight. Having reached the age of fourteen 
and my family having met financial reverses, I decided to 
run away from home and find employment on a farm. Later 
I worked my way to Cincinnati, where I found work in a 
sash and blind factory. Here I boarded with a Mr. T. B. 
Mason, a musician, who urged me to allow him to train my 
voice so I could sing with the church choir. I had alwa3^s 
loved music, although my sister always made fun of my voice 
and would not allow me to join in the music at home. Mr. 
Mason tested my voice and found it a baritone, so I was not 
allowed to sing in the choir. 



220 THURSTON COUNTY 

"At this time I also ^eatly enjoyed dancing. 

"When about 24 years of age I found myself a chronic 
invalid, with weak lungs, dyspepsia and rheumatism. A 
doctor told me to try roughing it as the only possible means 
of restoring my health. I secured work at once as a deck 
hand on a Mississippi River boat and found my health began to 
improve. 

"The next few j^ears were full of wandering, even thought 
of enlisting to go to the Mexican war, but a visit to a camp of 
volunteers so disgusted me that I abandoned the intention. 

"In 1850 I heard of a Mr. E. S. Bonsell, who was about 
to start West over the Oregon Trail, and wanted a driver for 
one of his trains, which position I secured. 

"Our train consisted of nine wagons and we started across 
the prairies from Fort Leavenworth, on the Caw Eiver, early 
in the Spring. We struggled through deep woods, waded 
brooks, ferried our wagons over rivejs, whenever we were for- 
tunate enough to find boats, making the cattle swim. 

"We had just crossed the little Blue River and were 
travelling over the bluffs down into the Platte valley, when 
suddenly our train ran into a band of about 150 Indians, 
painted faces, scanty clothing, and carrying Mexican spears. 
I made frantic signs for them to separate and let our train 
pass through, which they did, but soon surrounded our little 
band. I at once planned for a council to be held under a big 
tree, close at hand, they to send their chief, and we, our leader. 
While arranging this I had the drivers form the wagons in a 
square, with the tongues outside. Into the square thus formed, 
we put the women and children. 

"In the excitement, one of the wagons was left out of this 
square and the Indians began crowding around it. Elbowing 
my way through, I found that Miss Nancy Morton, a beautiful 
young girl of our party, was the object of great admiration 
on the part of the chief and his braves. The chief made signs 
that he wanted to buy Nancy for his wife, and that if we 
would not sell her he would take her by force. I walked up 
to the girl, placed my hand on her shoulder and made signs 
that she belonged to me. Telling her to follow me, we plunged 
into our extemporized fort. I tell you, Nancy was a badly 
frightened girl. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 221 

"At the council the chief told us they* were friendly to the 
white but were out after their enemies, the Pawnees. All they 
wanted from us was meat. Uncle Johnnie had a beef killed, 
which in a short time they had eaten raw. I assured them 
that many Boston men were coming and a party had ridden 
upon a bluff to look back over the road. Fortunately, there 
was a dust arising from another train of emigrants, so they 
rode on, but not before another one of our cows had been 
killed by one of the war party. 

"The plan of work which was invariably carried on by 
the emigrants each day was: In the early morning the sentinel 
on duty roused the camp, and very soon every tent and wagon 
is pouring forth its night tenants, and slowly kindling smokes 
begin to rise and float away in the morning air. The men 
start out to round up the cattle and soon the well-trained 
cattle move toward the camp. By seven o'clock, breakfast 
must be eaten, the wagon loaded and the teams yoked, all 
realizing that if they are not ready they will be obliged to fall 
behind into the dusty rear for the day. One man goes ahead 
to select a nooning place, where grass and water must be 
found, if possible. The teams are not vmyoked at noon but 
simply turned loose from the wagon,and then the noon meal 
is eaten. At one o'clock the march is resumed till night, when 
again everyone is busy building fires, preparing supper, pitch- 
ing tents and making ready for the night. The watches begin 
at eight o'clock and end at four o'clock. 

"I am asked if we had happy times around the camp fire 
at night. I answer 'no.' We were too tired and worn after 
the day's weary march. What we wanted was sleep. 

"One day we saw a man sitting alone besides the trail. 
He gave the Masonic sign of distress, and Mr. Bonsell at once 
invited him to join our party. His name was O'Hare, but we 
never knew the reason of his being left besides the roadside. 

"Another friend I made on this trip was Wm. Sherwood. 
disinherited son of a rich Englishman, who had chosen a fron- 
tier life in preference to one of luxury in England. He was 
very musical and taught me 'The ^Mistletoe Bough,' and 'Bon- 
nie Sweet Bessie.' At this time I had a little trouble with 
Mr. Bonsell and left his emploj^ although later, when we were 
all in Olympia, Mrs. Bonsell treated me like a son, I then 



222 THURSTON COUNTY 

secured a position of driver of one of' Uncle Johnnie Slocnm's 
vvagons, a position which suited me exactly, for I was assigned 
to drive the wagon in which rode that charming girl, Miss; 
Nancy Slocum, and her young cousin, Kuby Slocum. 

"A gruesome sight, when we reached Fort Laramie, was 
an Indian grave yard. At a distance they looked like scaffolds, 
while on the ground white buffalo skulls were arranged in a 
circle, whether as a decoration or some mystic sign, I never 
knew. 

"We were now in the country of the hostile Indian and 
we men had to keep watch with great vigilance. We Avere 
fortunate in not losing a single member of our party by death 
during the long journey, but we passed by many freshly-made 
graves, the sight of which was very depressing to our tired 
little band. 

"Although the scenery became very beautiful. I felt as 
if I Enjoyed a good slice of corn bread and bacon more than 
all the beauties around us. 

"Uncle Johnnie Slocum proved to be a hard task master 
and one morning he most unjustly attacked me with an ox 
yoke. I drew a knife to defend myself. Of course, he dis- 
charged me on the spot, but sold me supplies enough to last me 
the rest of the trip. I paid him well for them, however. 

"My supplies were piled out beside the road, and the train 
moved on, leaving me sitting alone beside the Oregon trail, 
but another party came along and picked me up the same day. 

"When near Fort Hall we had our first experience with 
Indians stampeding our cattle. It was one of their favorite 
tricks to give the emigrants a big scare. They came down 
the hillside with painted faces, feathers flying, and uttering 
most terrible war whoops while pounding on their skin drums. 
Our cattle ran away, scattering people and baggage in all 
directions. Fortunately no one was hurt, but some of the 
wagons were broken, so we had to go back to the fort to pick 
up scraps of iron to mend them with. 

"Mr. Landers, one of our party, now became very ill and 
we had to drive very slowly. Our cattle were almost starving 
and when we reached Salmon Falls, on Snake River, we were 
obliged to make the most dangerous crossing on the trip, so 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 223 

we coiild reach the grassy meadows, which we could see in 
the distance. ■ ■ - « ■ 

"Port Boise was another historic spot. It was bnilt in 
1834, but the only object of iiiterestl can recall was the thous- 
ands of jack rabbits running about in every direction. 

"As we descended the Blue Mountaiiis, the view was sur- 
passingly grand. 'Before vis lay the - great valley of the Co- 
lumbia, ninety miles away rose the lofty ranges of the Cas- 
cade Mountains, Mdth the towering peaks of Mt. Hood, I\It 
Rainier and Mt. Adains, which have become so familiar to 
me during my sixty years of life in the • Northwest. At The 
Dalles I secured employment on a large rowboat, which was 
carrying passengers to the Cascades. I made several trips up 
and down the Columbia River and then, having some money, 
decided to go on to Portland. So I joined a party of young 
men who were to drive their fathers' cattle to that settlement. 
One of the youngsters was Brad Davis' brother. On this trip 
I became so desperately ill that I was obliged to lie down by 
the roadside and let the rest go on. 

"An Indian came riding bj' on a pony and I offered him 
every cent I possessed if he would sell the pony, but not till 
I had added every article of clothing I could spare from my 
person did he consent to the bargain. I rode the pony into 
Vancouver, and there the horse was claimed by a man, who 
said it had been stolen from him. By the laws of Oregon I 
had to give the horse up and was to receive one-half the cost 
of the animal. The man promised to pay, but to this good day 
is still owing me that money. 

"I determined not to go into Portland dressed in my 
shabby clothes, so I remained in Vancouver, digging potatoes 
for $2 a day till I had earned forty big Mexican dollars. I 
then bought a suit of clothes and went on to Portland. 

"The settlement of Portland in '52 was a big mud hole; 
no sidewalks, few wagon roads, and often one would see a 
wagon mired to the hub in the sticky mud. I spent two or 
three days working in the Abrams mill and one of the men 
employed there was young William Billings, afterwards for 
many years Sheriff of Thurston County. One day another 
man and myself were set at work cutting down one of the 
biggest trees I had ever seen. It was in the middle of one oT 



224 THURSTON' COUNTY 

the main streets. I never worked harder in my life, but it 
took us the whole day to cut down that tree. We were paid 
ofi: and discharged that first night. 

"In company with Mr. O'Hare and Mr. Sherwood, I then 
started for Puget Sound. We built a flat-bottomed boat and 
poled down the Columbia to the Cowlitz Kiver. We stopped 
at 'Hard Bread's' hotel. It was run by a man who fed his 
customers hard tack three times a day. 

"Reaching Cowlitz Landing, we abandoned our boat and 
tramped the remaining fifty miles to the Sound. The trail 
passed near where Chehalis now stands. We were entertained 
by George Bush, M^ho had squatted on a claim seven miles from 
Olympia in 1845. He had an abundance of farm produce and 
was exceedingly generous to all emigrants. We then walked 
to Tumwater, where an Indian agreed to paddle us to Olympia, 
where we arrived the winter of 1852. 

"I had then completed a journej^ over the Oregon trail, 
which was about 2,000 miles, beginning at Gardiner, Kansas, 
and ending at Olympia, Washington. I had passed through 
the country now called Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, 
Oregon and Washington, and when I reached the shores of 
Puget Sound, I felt this country to be the El Dorado of my 
dreams and I have been contented to live here ever since. 

"I do not remember that there was a white woman in 
Olympia when I first arrived, but there were two living in 
Newmarket — Tumwater — Mrs. Crosby and Mrs. Simmons. It 
seemed a forlorn place and I never was so homesick in my life. 
I went back to Mr. Bush, but he laughed at me and set me 
to work making some sash and door frames for a new house 
he was about to build. I stayed with Mr. Bush two or three 
months. We sometimes rode over to Black Lake to go in 
swimming. Mr. Bush made me presents of several articles 
which could not be bought at that time — a whip saw, etc. 

"I wanted to get a claim on Bush Prairie, but the good 
land was all taken. There was plenty of land to be had for 
the taking around Olympia, but the timber was so thick that I 
was afraid of it. It did not seem as if a man would live long 
enough to ever see a garden grow, so I heard of some good 
prairie land out at Black Lake. I had been much pleased witli 
that lake, it was so picturesque and looked, to me, like the 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 225 

shape of a violin nestled down in the green ; the slender place 
in the middle, about sixty rods wide, seemed as beautiful to 
me as a lady's picture. 

•'I found a prairie one-half mile long and eighty to 100 
rods wide, bordered with oak trees and a little fringe of fir 
around the lake. A beautiful little trout stream ran across 
one end of the prairie and into the lake. There were smelt in 
the creek at the last of the rainy season. Salmon would come up 
the cr'?ek to spawn and often, when I would go down to get 
c, bucket of water, I would knock a salmon on the head with 
my ax, for my dinner. There were also mountain trout in the 
stream and the lake was full of white suckers. The Indians 
would come with a sieve and take a wagon-load of suckers 
away at a time. 

"I selected a site for my cabin and went to Dr. Tolmie's 
to get my hoe, blankets and frying pan. 

"One day I was returning from a trip to the Hudson Bay 
trading post, near Steilacoom. The trail crossed the Nesqually. 
near McAllister Creek, and some Indians were living there. 
They refused to ferry me across, although I asked them to 
do so in English, Chinook and sign languages, and offered 
them fiifty cents, while the usual price was but twenty-five 
cents, but they paid no attention to me. A young Tyee Indian 
was lying on the ground. I shook him by the hair of his head 
and commanded him to ferry me across the river, which he 
then did. The Indians then went up to McAllister and v/anted 
to know if I was a military officer or big chief, that I had 
dared to whip their Tyee. They must have been disgusted 
when McAllister told them that I was only a cultus Boston 
3nan. 

"I cut out the trail between Bush Prairie and Black Lake 
and made a scow to ferrj^ people and cattle across the lake 
from the Olympia trail, for the convenience of settlers who 
were going to Miami Prairie, Gate City and Grand Mound. ' ' 



226 THURSTON COUNTY 



DR. NATHANIEL OSTRANDER 



''He was ever strong for the right," are the words that 
come most readily to the compiler's pencil when an attempt 
Avas made to draw a pen picture of that veteran war horse 
in the medical profession, Dr. Nathaniel Ostrander. 

For many years, while living on his homestead on the 
Cowlitz River, he was the only doctor to minister to the distress 
of the people for many miles. His daughters can still re- 
member their father hurrying out, sometimes in the dead of 
night, saddling his faithful nag, filling his saddle bags with 
drugs, medicines, and frequently, surgical instruments, 
and starting on a trip of perhaps twenty or even fifty miles, 
in response to a summons for medical aid. Many of the men 
and women today living in Cowlitz County, with heads 
white with the hoar of age, were ushered into this w^orld by the 
genial doctor, whose proud boast it was that no mother died 
while under his care when professional skill was possible to 
save the lives of her and her baby. Brusk, sometimes gruff 
in his manners, all who best knew this grand old man, knew 
his heart was of pure gold, his moral life beyond reproach 
and his family relations loving and pure, a staunch friend, 
loyal to his political and fraternal affiliations. Dr. Ostrander 's 
memory is still fondly cherished by his former friends and he 
is mourned by his daughters to this late day. 

A native of New York, Nathaniel Ostrander grew to man- 
hood in that state, received his medical education, and in 
1836 was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Jane Yantis, of 
Lexington, Kentucky. After marriage, the Ostranders lived 
in Saline County, Missouri, but in 1852 decided to join an ox 
train and came West, as many from their neighborhood were 
contemplating such a move. 

The emigrants suffered even more than the customary 
hardships and terrors attendant upon the trip at that period. 
Weeks before the train arrived at The Dalles, black measles 







to 
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Q 

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PIONEER REMINISCENCES 227 

broke out among the emigrants and many deaths ensned. The 
services of the Doctor were in constant demand, and for two 
or three weeks there was but little rest or sleep for him. When 
Snake River was reached, in Idaho, one of the Ostrander 
children, Susan Charlotte, died, and was buried in a lonely 
grave beside this river. Here, too, Mrs. Ostrander gave birth 
to a girl baby. At the time of the baby's arrival the mother 
and her four daughters were deathlj- sick with the measles 
and for a time the outcome looked very doubtful. 

Arriving at The Dalles, the Ostrander family took boats 
for the vo^'age doAvn the Columbia to Portland. Here a short 
stop was made, but the children were still weak from the ex- 
periences on the plains, and malaria was so prevalent, that 
Dr. Ostrander decided to go on up to the Cowlitz country and 
take up a homestead. 

The Doctor and his brave wife at once set to work to carve 
a home from the wilderness and succeeded so well that within 
a few years their homestead became the finest and most valu- 
able in that section. Owing to a native force of character 
and natural ability, Dr. Ostrander soon became a leader in 
every enterprise among the pioneers. He was the first Probate 
Judge of Cowlitz County, having been appointed by Governor 
I. I. Stevens, soon after the organization of Washington Ter- 
ritory. Always a loyal Democrat, he was elected to the Ter- 
ritorial Legislature for several terms. Dr. Ostrander was a 
prominent member of the Odd Fellows, and took a keen in- 
terest in this fraternal organization to the day of his death. 
The town and river of Ostrander, in Cowlitz County, are named 
in honor of the Doctor. 

In 1872 the Ostranders decided to remove to Tumwater. 
Here the doctor opened a drug store in connection with the 
practise of his profession, and here the family lived for the 
ensuing fifteen years, the children in the meantime, growing 
up and receiving their education in the schools of that place. 

In 1887 the family selected Olympia as their home, and 
the Doctor built the large house on the block bounded by 
Franklin and Adams, Eighth and Ninth streets, Avhieh became 
the Ostrander home the remaining days of Doctor and Mrs. 
Ostrander. 

]\rrs. Ostrander was the first to go. passing from this life 



228 THURSTON COUNTY 

on February 22, 1899, after a well spent life of 68 years. A 
faithful wife, loving mother, consistent and ardent Christian 
and true friend, all who knew her realized that a good woman 
was gone with her passing. 

Dr. "Nat," as he was lovingly called by his familiars, 
joined his wife in the better land on February 7, 1902. 

Ten daughters and one son were born to Dr. and Mrs. 
Ostrander : Priscilla Catherine, now Mrs. Montague, of Forest 
Grove, Oregon, but whose first husband was James Redpath, 
and whose son is Dr. N. J. Redpath of Olympia ; Marj^ Anne, 
now Mrs. Thomas Roe, of Forest Grove, Oregon; Susan Char- 
lotte, the little girl who died and was buried on the plains ; 
Sarah Teresa, widow of Charles Catlin, a pioneer of Cowlitz 
County, and Avhom the town of Catlin is named after. Mrs. 
Catlin now makes her home in Portland, Oregon. Margaret 
Jane, now Mrs. M. 'Conner, of Olympia; Maria Evelyn, who 
later became ]\Irs. W. W. Work of Olympia, but who died in 
1888; Isabella ]\Iay, afterwards Mrs. E. E. Eastman, of Olym- 
pia ; John Yantis, who became an Alaska capitalist, but who 
died in Olympia in the Spring of 1914; Florence Eliza, after- 
wards Mrs. Walter Crosby, of Olympia; Fannie Lee, after- 
wards Mrs. C. M. Moore, now of Oakland, California, and 
Minnie Augusta, who died in infancy. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 229 



THE JAMES FAMILY 



Samuel James and his wife, Anna Mai:ia, with their family 
of eight sturdy sons and daughters, were the original settlers 
on Grand Mound Prairie. Of English birth, the couple came 
to America with their sons, Samuel, William, Thomas and 
John R. The first home in the land of their adoption was 
made in Wisconsin, Mr. and IMrs. James living in that state 
for several years, and here were born to them their daughters, 
Eliza and Mary, and their sons, Richard Oregon and Allen. 
While the children were still small and the younger ones but 
little more than babes, Mr. James became infected with the 
western fever. The home place was sold and the purchase 
price devoted to outfitting for the perilous journey across the 
plains to the new country of Oregon. 

The incidents of that journey cannot be preserved in his- 
tory, for the father, mother and children who were old enough 
to remember the experiences, are all gone, but the surviving 
son, John, who is still hale and clear-minded, relates that 
there were three yoke of cattle to each wagon and that five 
months were passed in steady travelling before the promised 
land was reached. 

Milwaukee, Oregon, was the first stopping place of the 
adventurers. Here Mr. James rented a farm and put in his 
crops. But this vieinitj^ did not satisfy them and they de- 
cided that Puget Sound was the land of golden opportunities, 
so after spending a year at IMilwaukee, Mr. and IMrs. James 
decided to pull stakes and away. 

The trip was made in the manner customary in those 
days, hiring bateaus from the Hudson Bay people, up the 
Willamette and Cowlitz Rivers to Cowlitz Landing. The 
cattle were driven along the Indian trail paralleling the river, 
by the three brothers, Samuel. AVilliam and Thomas. When 
the Cowlitz Landing was reached, the wagons were unlopded 



230 THURSTON COUNTY 

from the bateaus, fitted up and loaded with the furnishing-s and 
equipment of the James family. 

Arriving at Grand Mound in 1852, JMr. James took up a 
donation claim of 320 acres on the Chehalis River, built a 
cabin home and started to improve what afterwards became 
one of the finest farms in Thurston County. The prairie land 
was broken up and put in grain fields. ]Mr. James was a very 
progressive pioneer and among his first work M-as starting 
a ten-acre orchard, the little trees for the planting being 
brought with almost incredible difficulties from Oregon. The 
land was rich and the farm prospered almost from the be- 
ginning. As there were no other settlers on the prairie for a 
wdiile, Mr. James had the run of the fine ranges for his cattle 
and later a band of sheep, which he possessed. Soon after 
locating, he bought a small band of forty sheep from James 
McAllister, the Nesqually pioneer. This flock increased to a 
band of 500 head and was a source of considerable profit to 
the James family. 

It was a good three days' journey from the Grand Mound 
ranch and return, to Tumwater, with the wagons heavily 
loaded with grain to be ground into flour. This town and the 
little settlement which had sprung up on the Sound, called 
Smithfield— now Olympia, was the nearest market. 

Mr. John James, the only surviving son out of the stalwart 
band, relates some very interesting experiences of the family 
in the troublesome time preceding the Indian war, one of the 
incidents, which is here given, showing that the natives were 
sometimes responsive to humane treatment. 

"It was in berry picking time in the Summer of 1853," 
said Mr. James, "and a considerable band of Indians went into 
camp near our place, to gather their annual supply of the wild 
berries which grew in great profusion in the vicinity. Soon 
after their arrival the chief of the band, several members of 
his family, and a number of the tribe, were taken down wnth 
small pox — the scourge of the frontier in those days. Now it 
so happened that father, mother and one of my brothers were 
fmmune, owing to their having recovered from the dread dis- 
ease at an earlier period. Besides being one of the most pro- 
gressive men, father was also one of the kindest hearted I 
ever knew. Consequently he, wnth the assistance of mother 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 231 

and brother Thomas, nursed the siek Indians, administering 
the simple remedies which he liad knowledge of, and, undoubt- 
edly saved the lives of many. 

"When the disease had run its course and all were well 
again, the chief and head men called upon father and entered 
into a solemn treaty with him that all claims to the section 
of land on which was the James homestead were forever re- 
linquished by the Indians, and should remain in the undis- 
turbed possession of the family for all time, as far as the In- 
dians were concerned. The chief further made a treaty of 
good will that Mr. James and his family would ever be pro- 
tected by the Indians in the event of trouble arising between 
them and the settlers, who by this time had begun to arrive 
in considerable numbers. 

"This good-will treaty was all that prevented Grand 
Mound Prairie from being selected as an Indian reservation 
a few years later, when Governor Stevens made the allot- 
ments of territory to the natives, instead of Black River." 

In the Fall of 1853 a goodly number of emigrants came 
into the country, having arrived over the terrible Natche?> 
Pass. With cattle worn out, supplies exhausted, and men and 
women fatigued to the limit of human endurance, the fine 
ranges, bountiful supply of wood, land easily put under cul- 
tivation, springs of delicious water, the prospect was alluring, 
so they decided to settle on Grand Mound, and from that time 
on there was no lack of good neighbors for the pioneer family. 

Among the early settlers of Mr. John James w?i-s : B. F. 
Yantis and family; Alexander Yantis and family; James and 
Charles Biles; J. W. Goodell and large family; Ilolden Judson. 
Josephine Axtel, Patterson Luark. Abraham Tilley, Arthur 
Sergeant and sons, while on Miami Prairie early settlers were : 
The Brj'-ans, with their sons and daughters, Esther, INIary. 
Preston and Edgar; Camby brothers, four in number; John 
Laws; the Waddells, with their children, Robert and Susan; 
the Dodge family, consisting of father and mother and children 
Robert, Bruce, Marion and Samuel. Other pioneers of the 
neighborhood were Lawton Case, AVm. Mills and family. Henry 



232 



THURSTON COUNTY 



Hale and family, Paron Qiiinn, Elijah Baker and wife, Olive, 
with their boys. James and William; Jacob Croll, S. H. French, 
Andrew MeCormack and family; L. D. Dnrgan and wife; 
Augustus Gangloff, Thomas and William Cooper, Robert 
Barge, and the Northeraft brothers. 

The most of these people made their headquarters for 
over a year at Fort Henness, during the troublous Indian 
outbreak. 

James Biles built the first tannery on Scatter Creek, north 
of the Columbia River. L. D. Durgan and A. Gangloff started 
the first fruit nursery ; John Guynnup, a Mexican war veteran, 
started the first brick kiln at Grand Mound, and in 1853 a 
Mr. Armstrong built the first sawmill on the Chehalis River, 
locating a little below the present town of Oakville. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 233 



ALBERT A. PHILLIPS 



111 presenting a brief sketch of the late Albert A. Phillips, 
it becomes a duty, as well as a pleasure, to give prominence 
to the well known reputation he enjoyed for absolute business 
integrity. After having been President for twenty years of 
the First National Bank, and upon the failure of that institu- 
tion being appointed receiver, with the universal consent of 
the stockholders, is in itself an eloquent testimonial of the 
confidence in and regard for Mr. Phillips by his business 
associates. 

Albert A. Phillips was born in a small town in Ohio, in 
1839, and graduated from the high school of Sandusky, when 
eighteen years of age. He then taught school for a few years, 
but at the age of 21 bade farewell to his boyhood friends 
and home and started West over the old Oregon Trail. 

An elder brother, E. C. Phillips, had preceded him, and 
was located on Whidby Island, where he was conducting a 
general merchandise store. The young man clerked in this 
store for a year and then, hearing of rich strikes in the Idaho 
gold fields, decided to try his fortune there. Here he Avas 
unusually successful, and soon made a considerable stake 
from dealing in mining properties. Investing his modest 
fortune in Boise City, Idaho, he was, within a few months, 
completely stranded by a fire which destroyed the buildings 
in which he had invested. He then returned to Whidby Island, 
but came later to Olympia, where he was enrolling clerk with 
the first session of the territorial legislature. Liking the 
capital of the new Territory, Mr. Phillips decided to locate 
here, his first employment after the session being that of clerk 
in Capt. Percival's store. 

Within a few years he was elected Auditor and Eecorder 
of Thurston County, and enjoyed the distinction of being 
re-elected for seven consecutive two-year terms. 

The first State bank in the Territory was founded by 



234 THURSTON COUNTY 

the late George A. Barnes, and when Mr. Phillips was finally 
sncceeded as a eonnty officer, in company with Jndge Hoyt, 
this bank was purchased. The venture was so successful that 
the partners, Phillips & Hoyt, started the First National Bank 
and Phillips was elected President, continuing in this position 
until, owing to the deflation of real estate values, the bank 
Avas forced to close its doors. Mr. Phillips was then appointed 
receiver, and how judiciously and Avisely he closed up the af- 
fairs of the institution, and how satisfied were the investors 
and depositors, is a matter of financial history. 

Mr. Phillips was elected Mayor of the City of Olympia on 
the Republican ticket, was at one time a trustee of the Asylum 
for the Insane at Steilacoom, and was appointed a regent of the 
St*te University by Governor Ferry. After closing up the 
affairs of the First National, he was elected County Treasurer 
for two terms and was then appointed Assistant State Bank 
Examiner by Governor Meade, which position he was filling 
at the time of his death, on August 15, 1910. 

Albert E. Phillips was married to Miss Ellen Gillispie in 
1869, and brought his bride from Whidby Island to Olympia 
to make their home. 

Three children were the result of this union, Gertrude, 
afterwards Mrs. Rankin ; Elizabeth, now IMrs. 0. il. Llitchell 
of Mt. Claire, New Jersey, and Charles K. Gertrude died 
several years ago. Charles lives in Seattle, but claims Olympia 
as his home, coming here to vote at election time. 

Mrs. Phillips, a native of Wisconsin, came to Whidby 
Island with her parents, in 1857 The journey to the West 
was via Panama, and was soon after the little railroad was 
built across the Isthmus. 

Whidby Island at that time was considered to be the 
garden spot of Washington. A very superior class of people 
had settled there, who were enjoying unusual prosperity for 
so new a section, consequently Mrs. Phillips' recollections of 
the islands are very pleasant, and the reminiscences con- 
tributed by that lady are exceedingly interesting. 

All travel, of course, was by water, and Indians were 
generally hired to convey the settlers to the various points, in 
their canoes. For a moderate charge, the natives Avould take 
a party even as far as Seattle. Among ]\Irs. Phillips' most 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 235 

pleasant memories is a trip to that city, taken in company 
with her brother-in-law and sister. The big bucks did the 
paddling. A camp was made at night on the beach, and the 
trip was comfortable and full of delight to the young people. 

Another trip taken at an earlier day, which Mrs. Phillips 
tells about, was not so pleasant. "When she was a young girl 
about fourteen years of age, in company with her seventeen- 
year-old sister. Elizabeth, they started for a day's visit with 
friends in Coupeville. An Indian was hired to take them 
there in his canoe, the fare being 50 cents for the round trip. 
When they were opposite a lonely place on the beach, the 
Indian paddled up to the shore. With his paddle in his hand, 
springing out of the canoe, he pushed the girls away from 
the shore, and, pulling a knife, which to the frightened git'ls 
looked to be two feet long, began to hack his paddle to pieces, 
jabbering and grimacing all the while in a perfectly demoniacal 
manner. The girls were paralyzed with terror and at a loss 
what to do, drifting there alone in a canoe vrithout a paddle 
or means of landing. At this time another Indian paddled up 
to them and asked them the cause of their trouble. Upon 
their telling him, he directed them to look under the mat in 
the bottom of their canoe and find another paddle and reach 
the shore, which they did. The friendly Indian then went 
up to the one who had caused the trouble, and sternly repri- 
manded him, and commanded him to get back in the canoe 
and take the girls on to Coupeville. Indian No. 1 quieted 
down, resumed the journey and made no further disturbance, 
then nor on the return trip. 

At one time E. C. Phillips owned a farm on Whidy Island 
and had a couple of men and an Indian clearing some land 
One of the men hung his coat upon a stump, while he worked. 
In the pocket of the coat was $300 in $20 gold pieces. When 
the day's work was over, the owner of the coat threw it over 
his arm and went to supper. Some time in the evening he 
missed his money and, naturally, accused the Indian, who had 
been working with him, of taking it. The Siwash strenuously 
denied the theft. But there was no mistake. The money had 
certainly been in the man's pocket. None but the Indian saw 
the coat hanging on the stump. The money was gone. Of 
course he took it. Justice was swift and impetuous in those 



236 THURSTON COUNTY 

days. A posse of "Boston" men soon assembled. Both sides 
of the story were told, and without delay the Indian was con- 
victed. But a conviction, however satisfying to the loser, did 
not repay him for his vanished dollars. So the Boston men 
look Mr. Indian out, stood him under the forked limb of an 
immense tree, slipped a noose in the end of a rope over his 
head and began to tighten it, and told the Indian to prepare 
to meet his Tenanamus — God. Stoically stood the native, 
whose only words had been, "Me no take." It looked for a 
while as if the suspect would be counted among the good 
Indians within a few moments. But cooler judgment pre- 
vailed, and as the Siwash affirmed and reaffirmed his "no 
take," it was decided to let him go. The noose was unfastened 
and the Indian lost no time in fading away. 

Years, to the number of twenty-five, passed on — the incident 
was long since forgotten. The farm on which the money dis- 
appeared had passed into the hands of a brother of Mrs. 
Phillips, John Gillispie. One day in plowing up some new land 
in a freshly cleared field, he caught the glitter of something 
l)right. Picking up the object, he was amazed to find it to 
he a $20 gold piece. Gillispie then remembered the story of 
the loss of the $300 years ago, and searched till he found the 
entire amount. It had fallen from the man's pocket when 
he flung it over his arm, and had lain at the foot of a stump all 
these vears. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 237 



BENNETT WILLSON JOHNS 



The distinction of having been the youngest soldier in 
the volunteer company enlisted to defend Seattle in the Indian 
war of 1855-56, belongs to the subject of this sketch, Bennett 
Willson Johns, who, with his father, brothers and sisters, 
arrived in Seattle in 1853. Early in the spring of that year 
the elder Johns, Bennett Lewis, with his wife, Elizabeth Tuttles 
Johns, and their large family of children, started from their 
old home in Tennessee, for the West. 

When the emigrants reached Soda Springs, in Idaho, the 
wife and mother, with her two weeks' old babe, were taken 
down with mountain fever, and died after a few days' illness. 
The eldest daughter, Frances, who had become the wife of 
Alexander Barnes in the East, but who, with her husband, 
was also among the emigrants, was also stricken with the same 
disease and followed her mother within a few days. ]\Iother 
and daughter sleep side by side in lonely graves in the 
wilderness. 

The emigrants resumed their Western march after these 
bereavements, sad and discouraged, but with no alternative 
but to push onward. 

Owing to the delays from sickness and fatigue of the 
cattle, snow began to fall by the time the train reached the 
Cascades, and before many days' travel through the mountains 
were accomplished, it became necessary to abandon the wagons 
and much of the outfit, and take pack horses with which to 
continue their journey. Food became so scarce that a 
messenger was dispatched ahead of the weary emigrants with 
a prayer for assistance, to the settlers of Seattle. With char- 
acteristic Western generosity, the appeal was responded to 
and food and comforts sent back along the trail to relieve 
the distress of the emigrants. On reaching Puget Sound, the 
father took up a donation claim in what is now King County, 



238; THURSTON COUNTY 

on the Dnwaraish River, nine miles from Seattle, where he 
engaged in farming and stock raising*. 

After the family had lived on the claim tAvo years, the 
Indian war broke out and the elder Johns and two sons Avere 
among the first volunteers, and were engaged in the battle of 
1856 when the Indians attacked Seattle. 

Among B. W. Johns' most vivid remembrances, was one 
morning while the family were at breakfast in their home in 
the suburbs of the town, Avhere they had moved from the 
homestead at the time of the massacre on White Eiver, the 
Indians surrounded the house, driving the father and children 
into the town. When they returned they found the house had 
been ransacked by the Klootchman, and all they considered 
of value w^as taken, including the winter's supply of flour. 

This was a serious matter. The father and boys had raised 
the wheat on their own land, the father sowing in the morn- 
ing as much as the boys could dig into the ground and cover 
during the rest of the day. Later on this wheat was harvested 
in the primitive way of the time, threshed with a flail and 
winnowed in the wind. Then the precious grain was taken 
by JMr. Johns and Mr. John Collins, in a flat bottomed scow, 
to Tumwater, where it was ground into flour. 

When the family arrived in Washington — then Oregon — 
Mr. Bennett W. Johns was but a mere lad of fourteen, but 
even at that age he filled a man's part in the struggle which 
every pioneer had to participate in. After remaining with his 
father on the claim until he was twenty years of age, he started 
out in life for himself. When the Frazer River gold excite- 
ment was claiming many of the pioneers of the infant terri- 
tory, Mr. Johns joined the rush and mined with considerable 
success on Puget Sound Bar on the Frazer. Later he turned 
his energies to fur trading, with much financial success. 

In 1869, tired of a roving life, the young man came to 
Olympia, where for fourteen years he was engaged in the 
sawmill business with his brother-in-law, William H. Mitchell. 

In 1876, Mr. Johns purchased the fine farm on Bush 
Prairie which, although he sold it in later years, is still known 
as the Johns place. He also acquired considerable other valu- 
able property in Thurston County and in the City of Olympia. 

In 1872 Mr. Johns enjoyed his greatest piece of good 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 235 

luck in his successful life — he married Miss Marj^ J. Vertrees. 
One daughter, Ruth, was born to the 3'oung couple. 

]\Ir. B. W. Johns died at the family home in Oljaiipia on 
December 27, 1905. 

During Mr. Johns' life he was actively associated with 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having been Noble 
Grand in this fraternal organization, and was also a member 
of the auxiliary — the Rebekahs. He was also at one time 
Master Workman of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. 
Both Mr. B. W. Johns and his wife, IMary Vertrees, have been 
connected with the Baptist Church since the days of their 
early youth. 

]\Iary Vertrees Johns was the daughter of Charles IM. and 
Mary J. Vertrees, and was born in Pike County, Illinois. 
October 26, 1851. On February 25, 1872, she became the wife 
of Bennett Willson Johns, the wedding taking place in 
OljTnpia, at which place the young lady was a new arrival. 

At one time Mrs. Johns owned and successfuU.y superin- 
tended a book bindery in Olympia. She was also first matron 
of Charleston Cottage for j^oung ladies at Ottawa, Kansas, 
University in 1892 and 1893. Later ]\Irs. Johns was assistant 
postmaster in Olympia for a term of seven years beginning 
April 16, 1898. This lady, while feminine and womanly in the 
truest sense of the word, is outspoken in her belief that women 
have an equal right with men in framing laws for the govern- 
ment and protection of the country, and enjoys the distinction 
of having been twice elected a delegate to the Republican 
County Convention in the '80s, when women were given the 
right to vote, and once elected as degelate to the Territorial 
Convention. 

Besides her almost life-long affiliation with the Baptist 
Church, Mrs. Johns is Past IMatron of the Eastern Star, has 
been three times president of the Woman's Club of Olympia, 
twice Noble Grand of the Order of Rebekahs, a member of 
the Ladies' Relief Society and president of the George H. 
Thomas Relief Corps. 

Mrs. Johns has enjoyed extensive travel, not only through 
the United States, but Mexico and Canada, and in later years 
toured the European countries. 

Since the death of her husband Mrs. Johns has efficiently 



240 



THURSTON COUNTY 



mauaged the considerable property left her. The only child 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Johns, Euth V., now Mrs. A. S. Kerfoot, 
arrived in their home on December 5, 1874, and now makes 
her home in Lemon Grove, California, with her husband and 
an interesting family of three boys — Bennett Johns, George 
Franklin and Robert Arthur. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 241 



DR. A. H. STEELE 



Br. Alden Hatch Steele was an early pioneer of Oregon, 
coming to that State in 1849 with the 1st Rifle Regiment, U. S. 
A., crossing the plains to Vancouver. 

He was born in Oswego, New York, the youngest of three 
sons of Orlo Steele and Fanny Abbey. The oldest brother. 
Elijah Steele was a prominent lawyer and for many years was 
Superior Judge in Siskiyou County, California. 

The other brother, William, was a graduate of Werst Point, 
and served in both the Mexican and Civil wars. 

Dr. Steele graduated from the Medical Department of 
the University of New York in 1846. At the time he reached 
Oregon Territory, Oregon City was the principal town, and he 
settled there, marrying Hannah Hooper Bladder of Marble- 
head, Mass., who came to Oregon as a teacher under the pro- 
tection of Rev. G. H. Atkinson, a Congregational clergyman, 
who had been to the Eastern States asking for volunteers for 
this work in the new country. 

Dr. Steele had great influence with the Indians and set- 
tled many of their disputes. In 1857 he was physician in 
charge of the Grand Rounde Indian Reservation and again in 
1870 served in the same way the Indians of Nesqually, Che- 
halis and Squaxon Island Reservations, then in charge of Col. 
Samuel Ross, U. S. A. During the Civil War. Dr. Steele was 
post surgeon at Fort Dalles and Fort Stevens. Oregon, and 
Fort Steilacoom, Wash. This last named Post was where the 
present Insane Asylum is now situated. 

In 1869 the troops at Fort Steilacoom ^vere ordered to 
Alaska and Dr. Steele, feeling he had done his share of frontier 
work, resigned from the army and took up his professional 
work in Olympia, where he built a home at the southeast cor- 
ner of Franklin and Tenth Streets and lived until his death, in 
1902. 



242 THURSTON COUNTY 

During the years spent in Oregon and Washington he 
hekl many places of trust and prominence in public affairs. 
and was widely known as a leading physician and surgeon all 
through his life. In 1852 Dr. Steele used chloroform in ampu- 
tating a limb, the first used in surgery north of San Francisco. 

He was mayor of Oregon City three terms and a mem- 
ber of the city council eleven years. In Olympia he was an 
earnest worker for all public improvements, helping to start 
the first Gas & Power Co., director for many years of the First 
National Bank, and stockholder in the railroad to Tenino, and 
the "Olympia" Hotel, built by the citizens by hard efforts 
tn) help keep the capital on the old historic spot. Dr. Steele 
was an earnest member of the Episcopal church, and was one 
of the committee that sent a request to New York in 1853. 
asking for a Bishop for the Northwest. This request was an- 
swered by the election of Thomas Feilding Scott, in 1854, as 
first Missionary Bishop for the Territory of Oregon, a terri- 
tory then extending over the present State of Washington. He 
was also a member of the first convocation called by Bishop 
Scott, to establish the church in this new field. He was al- 
ways a vestryman of St. John's Church, Olympia, and junior 
warden and treasurer for twenty years. 

Dr. Steele was appointed by Gov. Ferry as Regent of the 
l^uiversity, serving two terms. Also medical examiner of the 
territorial penitentiary for six years, medical examiner of the 
New" York Mutual Life Insurance Company for twenty-five 
years, and for several other life insurance companies. He was 
an honorary member of both the Oregon and Washington 
Medical Societies. 

Dr. Steele died at his home in Olympia, June 29th, 1902. 
aged 79. He left his w^ife and one daughter, a son having died 
many years before. His daughter, Fanny Orlo, married in 
1878 Russell G. O'Brien of Olympia, who came to Washington 
in 1870 with Governor Salomon, as Assistant Collector of 
Internal Revenue. 

He was known as the "Father of the National Guard of 
Washington," organizing the first company of the present 
militia in Olympia in 1882 and serving as Adjutant General of 
the State for twenty-five years. He died in Pasadena, Cali- 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 



243 



fornia, in February, 1914. General and Mrs. O'Brien had 
three children, a daughter, Florence Blackler, died in 
1883 ; a son, R. Lloyd, who was a prominent student and 
cithlete at the State University, where he completed his course 
as a Civil Engineer, died Nor. 26, 1912. The youngest daugh- 
ter, Helen Steele, married George A. Aetzel, vice president of 
the Olympia Door Company, and resides in Olympia. One 
son, Charles Alden, was born in 1912 to Mr. and Mrs. Aet/.el. 



244 THURSTON COUNTY 



THOS. M. MACLEAY 



Thomas Moore Macleay was born in Willapool, on Lock 
Broom, in Koss and Cromarty Shires, Scotland. His family 
v\'as one of the oldest and most prominent in that section and 
when he was a child his family moved to Richmond, Canada. 
In 1861, he went into business in Montreal and during the Civil 
War traveled through the Eastern States, buying what pro- 
duce he could and shipping to his partner. Hearing through 
his brother about California and Oregon, he decided to sell 
out and go there. 

He then become interested in the firm of Corbett & Mac- 
leay Co., of Portland, who owned several large vessels and did 
an immense business all over the Coast and in the Hawaiian 
Islands. 

He later visited Puget Sound and decided to cast his lot 
in Olympia, where he opened a wholesale and retail grocery, 
below Second on Main street. His stock was so heavy it 
caused the floor to give way so he built a new place on Main 
street, between Second and Third streets. His large heart was 
open to every new comer and he trusted them with goods for 
months and always had a warm corner and something to eat 
for everyone. 

Traveling in those days was very hard and was done most- 
ly by row boat and horseback. He always had the good of the 
community at heart and was very enterprising. With Capt. 
J. G. Parker and Dr. Alden Steele, he built the first steamer, 
"The Messenger," that made daily trips between Olympia and 
Tacoma and Seattle. It was considered a wild and unheard 
of undertaking in those days and was a great event when the 
boat was launched and made her trial trip as far as Doffe- 
meyers Point. 

He married Annie Frost, the youngest sister of Robert 
Frost, a pioneer of the fifties, and by whom he had five chil- 




MR. AND MRS. THOMAS MACLEAY 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 



245 



clren. Their first home was the building where Governor 
Stevens opened the first Territorial Legislature, and where 
their only son, Lachlan Maclea3^ now a prominent business man 
of New York, was born. 

Mr. Macleay died in 1897 and as his old friend, John Miller 
Murphy wrote of him: "His word was as good as a bond, and 
his name to an obligation as safe as the paper of the Bank of 
England." Mrs, Macleay, as a young girl, was one of a group 
of young people who were the life of the whole community. 

In the early seventies they organized the Olympia Ama- 
teur Dramatic Club, whose members were Billy Neat, Robert 
Frost, Capt. Ballard, (who afterwards founded the town of 
Ballard), Joe Chilberg, George Blankenship, Sam Woodruff, 
James Ferry and Professor Roberts, the ladies being Nettie 
Horton, Gyp Shelton, Ada Woodruff, (who is now Mrs. Oliver 
Anderson, the noted authoress), Julia Shelton and Annie 
Frost. 

They put on these amateur plays in the old Town Hall, the 
proceeds going for different purposes — -once to paint the hall 
and again to build a house for a family who had been burned 
out. 



246 • THURSTON COUNTY 



JUDGE O. B. McFADDEN 



A sketch of Thurston County's early history without at 
least a mention of Judge 0. B. McFadden and his family 
would, indeed, be like a play of Hamlet with Hamlet left out. 

Born in Pennsylvania of a sturdy and well-to-do family. 
Judge McFadden spent the early years of his life in that state. 
There he was married and there his four elder children Avere 
born. In 1853 President Franklin Pierce appointed the young 
lawyer, who even then was beginning to attract attention by 
his legal attainments and tactful statesmanship, to the posi- 
tion of Circuit Judge over the newlj^ organized Territory of 
Oregon. Judge McFadden made the trip to his new field of 
labor by water, crossing the Isthmus and coming on up to San 
Francisco, then by boat up the Columbia to Vancouver, which 
was then but little more than a trading post established by 
the Hudson Bay people. Court was held in the Rogue River 
country and the Judge would make his visits from Vancouver 
always on horseback, wnth his legal books and documents 
packed in his saddle bags. Soon after the formation of Wash- 
ing Territory, and her separation from Oregon, Judge ]Mc- 
Fadden was appointed Chief Justice to succeed Edward Lan- 
der, who was the first Judge to enjoy that honor. 

The year before his eoming to Olympia. Judge ]\IcFadden 
had returned to his home in Pennsylvania and yielding to the 
entreaties of his wife, who could no longer bear separation 
from her husband, brought his family back with him upon his 
return to Oregon. ]\Ir. Frank P. McFadden, one of the sons, 
relates their experiences during their first few weeks in Van- 
couver. The mother and children were filled with dread and 
apprehension of the Indians, and before coming West had been 
told by their friends of the dire fate which would probably 
await them when they reached the wilds of Oregon. One day 
the McFadden boys, while playing by the banks of the river. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 247 

espied a flotilla of apparently empty canoes and small boats 
drifting down the Columbia. They rushed to the settlement, 
giving the alarm that the Indians were coming. Even some 
of the men who hastened to the river's edge to see the cause 
of the boys' scare thought they were correct, for the long 
string of boats were certainly approaching and it was thought 
that in the bottom of each canoe was lying a savage buck with 
his gun pointed toward them. But when the boats came near 
enough for thorough investigation, they were seen to be, in- 
deed, empty, and it afterwards proved the craft had been made 
a few miles up the river and were being brought down for 
sale among the settlers. 

Another scare the McFaddens experienced was one dark 
night after they had all retired, the mother and children were 
awakened by the most terrible yelling and screaming. Sure 
now that the Indians had come and were murdering everyone 
in Vancouver; they cowered in their beds in the dark wonder- 
ing what moment their time would come. Morning broke, 
however, and they were surprised to find themselves still alive. 
Making their way to the nearest neighgbors they were relieved 
to learn that the horrid sounds had been made by a pack of 
coyotes which had fallen upon the carcass of a horse lying in 
the brush not far from the McFadden home. 

In 1873 Judge McFadden was elected a delegate to Con- 
gress on the Democratic ticket, defeating Selucius Garfielde 
on the Republican ticket. The next two busy years were spent 
in Washington, D. C. Judge ]\IcFadden died in Olympia in 
1875, shortly after the expiration of his term as delegate. The 
McFadden home, on a point of land overlooking the Sound, 
was for years one of the beauty spots of Olympia. but the 
march of progress has developed business establishments in the 
neighborhood and detracted from the loveliness of the view 
once to be obtained from the windows of what was, in its days, 
considered a mansion. In this home for many years after the 
death of her husband lived ]\Irs. j\IcFadden, who finally, in 
1904, sank to rest. The children of Judge and Mrs. McFadden 
are : Mrs. Mary Miller, of Seattle ; 0. B. McFadden, Jr., Franls 
P. and J. Cal McFadden of Olympia, R. N. McFadden of 
Seward, Alaska, and Mrs. L. P. Oiielette, of Olympia. 



248 THURSTON COUNTY 



EDMOND AND CROWELL H. SYLVESTER 



The pioneers who are the subjects of this sketch are too 
well known, and their pioneer experiences have been so oft 
related that the compiler can give but little more than a repeti- 
ti >n of facts which are already history. Fishermen bold were 
these brothers, descended from a long line of fishermen, who 
made their home at Deer Isle, Maine, the spirit and love of 
danger and adventure was born with them. In 1846, the elder 
brother, Edmond, came to Puget Sound, locating first on a 
claim on what later became known as Chambers' Prairie. Syl- 
vester's nearest neighbor was Nathan Eaton, the first settler 
on this prairie. Sylvester had as partner a man named Smith, 
who selected for his claim the half section of ground where 
Olympia now stands. There was a mutual agreement that in 
the event of the death of either of the partners, the survivor 
should own the whole of both claims. 

Sylvester and Smith, even then, had faith that a town 
Avould be built on the location ; indeed, the partners planned to 
lay out a town site themselves. To this new town they planned 
to give the name Smithter, combining their names. 

In 1848 Smith, Avho was subject to epilepsy, was found dead 
in his boat, in which he was intending to make a trip to attend 
the Oregon Legislature, of which he had been elected a mem- 
ber. By the agreement Sylvester inherited Smith's claim and 
from that time on for many years the town and its develop- 
ment became his chief interest in life. He changed the name 
of the settlement to Olympia and his generosity in bestowing 
tracts of land to the city to be used for public purposes is 
well known. The beautiful little park, now known as Capital 
Square, but for many years called Sylvester Park, a half block 
of land west of the Capitol Building for the location of Olym- 
pia's first school house, and the ten acres donated to the State 
in Capitol Park on wdiich are located the executive mansion 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 249 

and the foundation for the State Capitol buildings, are among 
his magnificent bequests. 

AVhen Edmond had lived in the West about four years he 
sent for his brother, Crowel H. Sylvester, to join him. Mrs. 
Edmond Sylvester was escorted by her brother-in-law in her 
journey from the old home to join her husband. 

C. H. Sylvester, upon his arrival in the territory, located 
upon his claim, not far from South Bay. He was the pioneer 
settler in this section and was obliged to cut the trail through 
the dense woods to reach his claim. 

The first hotel this city could boast of was run by the 
Sylvester Brothers, a two-room shack, cloth lined, the Avhole 
building being but 16x24 feet in size, with bunks for the ac- 
commodation of guests. 

Edmund Sylvester was one of the owners of the brig Orbit, 
which came here in 1849, with a party of California gold seek- 
ers, Capt. W. H. Dunham. This ship was the first owned on 
Puget Sound, the forerunner of the vast fleet now plying these 
waters. 

Edmund Sylvester built his home on the block now facing 
the postoffice building on Main Street and for many years it 
was considered the finest home in Washington. And when he 
ended this world's activities in the late '80 's, his brother 
Crowell Sylvester, continued to live on his valuable farm till 
the time of his death in the early part of this century. 



250 THURSTON COUNTY 



GENERAL WILLIAM WINLOCK MILLER 



From teaching school in a remote village in Illinois 
for a monthly salary of $10 to amassing a million dollar fortune- 
is the record of W. W. Miller, whose memory is prominent in 
the minds of the remaining pioneers of his day. 

After receiving his education in Illinois and, with 
patient frugality acquiring enough money to defray his ex- 
penses to the Far West, the young man arrived in Olympia in 
1853, his entire fortune comprising only a few hundred 
dollars. With the business sagacity and perspicuity which was 
Mr. j\Iiller's main characteristic, he at once began to invest in 
Olympia property, buying and selling, loaning money to those 
less fortunate than himself, his speculations ever attended with 
signal success. ]\Ir. Miller, however, is not only to be remem- 
bered as a successful business man, but also a patriot and brave 
soldier as well. lie was one of the first to enlist in the ranks 
of volunteers organized for the defense of the country in the 
Indian war of 1855-56, rapidly rising from the ranks until he 
was finally made Commissary General and staff officer to Gov- 
ernor I. I. Stevens, and this executive was emphatic in affirm- 
ing that much of the success in quelling the Indian disturb- 
ances was due to the able and efficient men vrho composed his 
staff. 

Mr. Hazard Stevens, in his "Life of Governor Stevens," 
gives the following high praise to General W. W. Miller, as 
having imparted "extraordinary efficiency to the quartermas- 
ters' and commissary's departments, the most difficult of all 
These departments, generally kept distinct, was a single depart- 
ment in the service. It was General Miller who collected, large- 
ly' by impressment, organized and led out into the Indian coun- 
try the large ox train, which hauled out three months' supplies 
for the volunteers in the beginning of the campaign, v/ithout 
which it could not have been waged. He was distinguished by 
remarkable sound sense and judgment and Governor Stevens 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 251 

counseled with and relied upon him more than any other. And 
after the close of the Indian war General Miller was Governor 
Stevens' closest friend in the territory." 

When Governor Stevens issued his order disbanding the 
volunteer organization General Miller took steps to sell at 
public auction the animals, equipment and supplies at hand 
and settling the accounts. The sales of property realized $150,- 
000, the articles sold generally bringing more than the original 
cost, and the sum realized was more than enough to defray the 
entire cost of the expedition. After the close of the war Gov- 
ernor Stevens was successful in having the territory made a 
separate Indian Superintendency and General W. W. Miller 
was appointed Superintendent General, which important posi- 
tion he filled with credit to himself and with satisfaction of the 
Governor. In politics General Miller was an unsv/erving Demo- 
crat and took an active part in the Stevens' campaign when 
the latter was seeking re-election as a Territorial Delegate to 
Congress. Among the papers preserved by Governor Stevens 
was a letter written him by his friend General Miller, when 
the Governor was in Washington, D. C, which reads: "I 
believe that National Democracy can verily keep possession of 
the territory. Your own prospects are good. Now that you 
have won a National fame, you will always be looked upon as 
the leading man in the Northwest, and you cannot be beaten 
at the next election." 

General W. W. Miller secured as his bride ]Miss Mary Mc- 
Fadden, an undisputed belle of Olympia and two handsome sons 
were born to them, Winlock and Pendelton. The General's 
death occurred in Olympia, and his son, Pendelton, in Seattle, 
both being interred in Masonic cemetery. 

Mrs. Miller and her son, Winlock Miller, now make their 
home in Seattle, although Mrs. Miller has large property hold- 
ings still in Olympia. Several years ago IMrs. ]Miller presented 
to the city of Olympia the valuable block of land on which is 
now situated the Winlock Miller High School. 



252 THURSTON COUNTY 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS SIMMONS 



To see and talk with the first white child born north and 
west of the Columbia River was one of the delightful ex- 
periences of the compiler upon one of her quests for remi- 
niscences of old timers. 

C. C. Simmons and his wife have their home in a cozy 
nook on the east shore of Mud Bay, where Mr. Simmons is the 
owner of valuable oyster and clam beds. Here for the past 
dozen years this Avorthy couple have lived in quiet content. 
Their children married and Vv'ith homes of their ovrn, frequently 
come to visit their father and mother, holding fast to family 
ties, and keeping in touch with their parents. 

The coming of the Simmons family to the West has been 
tcld so often by abler historians that the present writer feels 
that a brief mention of these, among the very first settlers in 
this county, will suffice here. 

Col. Michael T. Simmons, of Irish ancestry, although born 
in Kentucky, was among the hardy immigrants who dared to 
venture into the totally unknovvm wilderness of Puget Sound 
as early as 1844. 

Married and with four sons, Simmons, whose indominable 
spirit refused to be disheartened or depressed, joined the ox 
train of fortune seekers, among whom were the men and women 
who were to lay the foundation of the magnificent develop- 
ment of this section of the Puget Sound country. The fam- 
ilies who, with Simmons, finally settled in what is now Thurs- 
ton County were : James McAllister and his wife, Martha, 
their children, George, America, who afterwards became Mrs. 
Thomas Chambers; Martha, afterwards the wife of Joseph 
Bruuston, and John ; David Kindred and his wife Talitha, and 
son, John K. ; Gabriel and Mrs. Keziah B. Johns, their sons, 
Lewis and Morris, and daughter Elizabeth, who married Jo- 
seph Broshears in 1852, and the Bush family, consisting of 
George and Isabelle J., father and mother, William Owen, Jo- 
seph Talbot, Reily B., Henry Sandford and Jackson January. 

The party had wintered in Vancouver while Simmons and 



■PIOlSrEEK REMINISCENCES 253 

some of the other men had made the trip up the Cowlitz River 
to ascertain the value of the land, quality of timber and pros- 
pect for wresting a livelihood from the wilds. But in the fall 
of 1845 they all brought their families to the Sound. Simmons 
located his claim at the falls of the Deschutes River, which Avas 
then known by the Indians as "Tumchuek"— throbbing water. 
The Bush family took up land on the edge of the prairie, 
v.'hich has ever since been called bj- their name. Kindred's 
claim was just south of what is now Olympia, and the 3IcAllis- 
ters were eventually located near the Nesqually Fdver. Sim- 
mons laid out the town of New Market, now Tumwater, and 
in the fall of IS 16 built the first grist mill north of the Co- 
lumbia. This historic mill was roughly built of logs, with its 
mill stones made from fiat boulders found in the stream whose 
waters turned the rude wheel. From this coarse, unbolted flour, 
the first bread from home grown wheat was made, and this 
bread was considered a great luxury after a diet of dried peas, 
and boiled wheat, which had formed the staple diet before the 
completion of the mill. 

Before coming to Puget Sound, while the Simmons were 
wintering on the north bank of the Columbia, near Washougah 
the irrepressible Christopher Columbus was born. This history 
is now continued in C. C. Simmons' own v\^ords. 

''Yes, I reckon I was the first white child born in this 
neck of the woods, and father and mother seemed to think be- 
cause I enjoyed this distinction I must have discovered the 
country, so they called me Christopher Columbus. I first saw 
the light of day April 10, 1845, and mj' birth chamber was a 
sheep pen with a canvas stretched over the roof to keep part 
of the rain from mother and me. There were eleven children 
in our family — the boys, George Washington, David C, Mar- 
ion Francis and McDonald, were older than me and crossed 
the plains with father and mother. Then I came next and 
younger than me were : Benjamin Franklin, Charlotte, JIary, 
Kate, Charles Mason and dad's namesake Michael T. Of thes(^ 
children David and McDonald are dead, Marion lives in Puy- 
allup, Benjamin F. in Seattle, Charlotte is Mrs. Kuntz. of 
Chehalis, Mary is Mrs. Holmes, living in IMassachusetts. Kate 
married a man named Kantwell. Charles J\I. lives in Puyallup 
and Michael in Ellensburg. 



254 THURSTON COUNTy 

"During the Indian v:ar we were all forted in the Collins 
blockhouse where is now Arcadia, but I was not old enough 
to take an active part in that trouble. I have always been 
poor in this world's goods and am glad of it. There is the 
less danger of being robbed, although I have had my chances 
for wealth more than most. 

"One time when I was working for my uncle. Dr. May- 
nard, who was one of the first settlers of King County, he 
made me a present of a deed to 160 acres of what is now AVest 
Seattle. I held on to it for a while and then found it too 
troublesome to care for the deed and to keep the small amount 
of taxes paid, so I gave it back to Uncle IMaynard, much to 
his disgust. He thought I must have very little sense not to 
hang' on to what he knew would be very valuable at some 
not far-off day. 

"Father died on his farm in Lewis County a long time 
ago and mother lived until about 24 years ago, spending her 
last days in Shelton. When I was nineteen years of age I 
was married to Asenath Ann Kennedy, who was but four- 
teen, and has been my true and faithful wife for fifty years 
of wedded happiness. Of course, we had to elope, for her 
parents would not give consent till she was at least out of 
school. I rowed, one dark night, from the Big Skookum to 
Steilacoom, where Ann was attending school, picked her up 
at a point we had agreed on and then we made our way to 
Seattle. 

"Even in those days a girl had to be at least eighteen 
before she could marry Avithout her parents' sanction. Well, 
we hardly knew what to do. So when we got to Seattle we 
went to Uncle Maynard for advice. This good man considered 
a moment and then said to Ann 'Take off your shoes.' She 
did so and Dr. Maj^nard wrote the figures 18 on two slips 
of paper and put them in her shoes. Ann caught on as quick 
as lightning. A few minutes later we stood up before Rev. 
Daniel Bagley, who asked her age. 'Why, I'm over eighteen,' 
she said as bland as milk, and so we were married and have 
lived happily together. 

"On August 25th, 1914, we celebrated our golden wed- 
ding at our home on ]Mud Bay, with all of our nine children 
and our grandchildren around us." 



piointeer reminiscences 2B5 



HARVEY R, WOODARD. 



The account given by the pioneer son of a pioneer father 
of their early days on Puget Sound presents a photographic 
reproduction of the scenes and experiences which are now but 
a dream of by-gone days. Alonzo B. Woodard, senior repre- 
sentative of one of Thurston County's best known pioneer fam- 
ilies tells the following: 

"Father, mother and we three boys, Theodore, Delbert 
<uid your humble servant, came to Oregon in the early fif- 
ties, reaching The Dalles after a cruel, hard trip, over the Ore- 
gon Trail. 

"Father's cattle were so worn out that they every one 
died of starvation and exposure early in the winter. He had 
left them to be taken care of at The Dalles, but the winter 
was unexpectedly severe, there was no feed to be bought and 
the snow covered the ranges. 

"The family came on down to Vancouver before the ex- 
treme cold set in, and father tried to rent a house for us, but 
found that to be impossible. A piece of ground large enough 
to set a tent upon was rented for $10 a month, so my parents 
decided that where there was so much unoccupied territory 
— you might say all of what is now both Oregon and Wash- 
ington being still unsettled, this was two much of a price to 
pay. Accordingly, they went a few miles out of Vancouver, 
and father built a little one-room affair of logs in which we 
could store our plunder and sleep. All that winter mother 
cooked our meals on an open fire made from the green wood 
father would cut from the forest. As the snow lay twelve 
inches deep on the ground we all had a pretty uncomfortable 
time. Up to February the Columbia was frozen so solidly no 
bf)ats could come up from Portland, but as Spring came on 
the weather moderated and the swift water formed an open 
channel in the river. Father fixed up some canoes, and leav- 
ing mother and us boys at Vancouver started for Puget Sound. 

"After many perils and hardships he reached what he 
always referred to as God's Country and located a claim on 



255 THURSTON COUNTY 

South Bay. When the weather got nice and warm father 
sent for his family and we made the trip by water. The boat 
came to the landing place in connection with Fort Nesqually 
and there father met us with a row boat and took us to what 
was to be our home for some years. 

"I was but a lad, and had never seen salt water before. 
I was filled with admiration of the beautiful picture pre- 
sented by South Bay with the dense forest coming down to 
the shores of the bay and the clear, delighful looking water. 
We camped that night on the beach and in the morning imag- 
ine my dismay when I looked out on what seemed to me but 
a sea of mud. Father reassured me, however, and told me 
that was the way of the tide — ahvays on the ebb and flow — 
and as sure as it went so surely would it come again. We 
lived here on South Bay for the next two or three years in 
peace and Avere beginning to feel quite prosperous. Father, 
with the help of us boys had cleared and planted tAvelve acre:-? 
of land. We had a yoke of oxen, a cow and some pigs, and 
father had built a very comfortable home. 

"In 1855, just as we began to reap the reward of our hard 
work and previous privations, the Indian Avar broke out. We had 
been hearing ugly rumors for some time, and one afternoon 
Owen Bush rode up to our place and told us about the killing 
of McAllister by the Indians. Father went on up to the head 
of the bay to learn all he could about whether there was real 
danger and found that all the settlers had already fled to 
Olympia. Hastening back home he hurried us all into a roAV 
boat and started for town. On the way he stopped and took 
]\Irs. Knott and Mrs. Frazier in our boat. 

"When we got up opposite Herbert Jeals' place, we were 
terrified to hear firing back of the house. Father and I were 
pulling the oars and Theodore Avas steering the boat. We 
struck out across the bay for the west side, expecting to see 
Indian Avar canoes take after us, in AA-hich event we kncAv Ave 
Avould soon be overhauled, for our boat Avas clumsy and over- 
loaded. When Ave got off the Harstein Island point one of 
the Avorst wind storms came up I have ever experienced. I 
have never seen the Avaters of Puget Sound so rough. The 
Avaves Avere lashed into a fury, and ran so high that our cap- 
size seemed imminent. Mrs. Frazier was the worst scared 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 257 

M-omaii I ever saw. She lay in the bottom of the boat moaning 
and crying, not knowing whether she was to meet death at 
the hands of the Indians or be drowned in Piiget Sound. But 
along toward morning we reached Olympia all safe and sound, 
although almost exhausted. The next day father and I went 
back home for the rest of our things and we lived all winter 
in Tumwater. 

''Eight here I want to say that after my experiences of 
t'lat year, no talk of war time prices can scare me. Father had 
to pay $3 a bushel for potatoes, $20 a barrel for flour, $8 a 
keg for syrup, and there was a tradition that butter was a 
dollar a pound — but about that I cannot say. The Woodards 
didn't see any of that luxury for many a month. Our main 
living was potatoes, clams, oysters, ducks and always sal- 
mon. Until father built his grist mill, all our flour came 
around the Horn and from being for months in the hold of 
vessels became musty and all but unfit to eat. I have seen 
mother lift squirming worms out of the mildewed stuff she 
was obliged to use in making our bread. 

"After the close of the war father went back to South 
Union and later overhauled and rebuilt a mill on the Sequal- 
echen, but I spent my winters in town attending school. 
Among the teachers I remember in those days were Rev. 
Dillon and Mrs. Doyle, both fine instructors, leading their 
pupils along learning's path with a kind firmness that has 
had its effect all through my life. Father in later years 
bought the old Woodard home on the West Side, where he 
died in 1872. IMother lived over twenty years after father's 
death. 

"When I attained my majority I spent some years in 
Oregon — w^as there during the Civil War, and while here had 
my greatest piece of good luck. While living in Lafayette. 
I met and was married to my wife — formerly Miss Wallace. 
Later we returned to Olympia, where for years we have led 
a peaceful, uneventful life. We have had two daughters and 
one son born to us : Elma Amelia, now ]\Irs. Crawford, of 
Tacoma and Ada Salome, the wife of Captain George S. E. 
Krem. Our son Van Eugene died a few years ago." 



258 THURSTON COUNTY 



STEPHEN D. REINHART 



"You must be sure to give prominent mention to the 
Reinhart family, and Mrs. Eeinhart's father, William Cock," 
was frequently told the compiler when interviewing the few 
living men and women whose memory carried them back tu 
their associates of sixty-five years ago. 

Stephen D. Reinhart was of German ancestry, but was 
himself a native of Kentucky. He was educated in the State 
of Indiana and there was married to ]\Iiss Sarah Cock. In 
1852, when the tide of immigration was strong towards the 
land of the setting sun, the young Reinharts, with their baby 
boy, "William, started for the long and dangerous trip over 
the old Oregon Trail. The journey was attended with the 
almost incredible hardships and dangers which the immi- 
grants were called upon to endure. The oxen became ex- 
hausted when the alkali country was reached, and finally 
Mr. Reinhart was obliged to separate the hind wheels of his 
wagon from the front ones, fit a rude tongue to these and 
with this miserable make-shift proceed on the journey to The 
Dalles. 

Rafting his family and few worldly possessions to the 
Cascades, Mr. Reinhart was here fortunate enough to secure 
the contract for loading a sloop bound for Portland. This 
put the adventurer in funds again and provided a means of 
passage down the Columbia to Portland. From this point the 
Reinharts took up the line of march for the Puget Sound 
country. Reaching Grand Mound Prairie the young man took 
up a donation claim and started a little home. Prosperity had 
just begun to smile upon the family, when the Indian war 
broke out and they were obliged to abandon their claim and 
seek shelter in the nearest blockhouse. Mr. Reinhart has- 
tened to tender his services toward the defense of the country 
by enlisting in the rank of Washington volunteers. 

After the close of the war the family removed to Olym- 
pia, where Mr. Reinhart engaged in mill building, he having 
learned the trade of millwright in his youth. He also at one 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 259 

time ran a saw mill. By this time he had acquired consider- 
able property and built for his home the house now owned by 
Mrs. Tew, on the corner of Main and Fifteenth Streets. In 
1862 Mrs. Eeinhart's health began to fail and they went to 
Grande Rounde, Oregon, in the hopes of her improvement. 
This move not proving of benefit, they proceeded to Napa, 
California. Mrs. Reinhart died a few years later at Calistoga 
Springs, Napa County. Mr. Reinhart then brought his chil- 
dren back to Oregon, where he was made Indian agent at the 
Grande Rounde reservation. Later, about the year 1872, Mr. 
Reinhart went to Whatcom County, where he took up a claim 
of 160 acres of fine agricultural land which he developed with 
the passing of years and with characteristic energy, into one 
of the most valuable farms in that region. ]\Ir. Reinhart was 
a member of the Territorial Legislature for two terms. Jus- 
tice of the Peace several terms, and at the time of his death in 
1901, was enjoying an unexpired term as State Senator. 

Besides the son William, who was born in the old home 
in Indiana, Senator and Mrs. Reinhart were the parents of 
four sons and daughters born after reaching the Coast. Of 
these Captain Calif S. Reinhart, Clerk of the Supreme Court, 
until recently president of the Olympia National Bank and 
Captain of Co. A., First National Guard of Washington, three 
times mayor of Olympia, his native city, and a sister, Mrs. 
Carrie Chandler, whose home is in Bellingham survive. Wil- 
liam at the age of 23 died while returning from a sea voyage 
in Callao, and was buried from the steamship Great Republic. 

Mrs. Reinhart 's father was the Col. William Cock, who 
is well remembered among Olympia pioneers. He was first 
Territoral Treasurer, serving in that capacity from 1854 to 
1861 and for many years prominently connected with the 
business and social life of Olympia. 



260 ■ THURSTON COUNTY 



A TRIP TO STEILACOOM 



To the lover of Nature and seeker after historic spots there 
is no section more alluring than that traversed by the old 
military road between Olympia and the old town of Steila- 
coom, thence on a short two miles to what was formerly the 
location of Fort Steilacoom, but now the site of the modern 
Washington Hospital for Insane. 

Over roads delightfully smooth the auto glides along to 
the top of the Nesqually hill. The road now becomes beautiful 
and picturesque with the fern-decked bank on the one side 
and the ravine with its big trees on the other. Winding and 
curving the road is still a safe enoug'h one, owing to the wide 
turnouts at each curve. On down through the rich Nesqually 
bottom, over the long bridge with the river, clay white, rushing 
below. The ascent of the hill on the Pierce County side is 
gradual and easily accomplished and when the summit is 
reached, what a panorama is spread out. Surely in all Wash- 
ington there is no nobler view than this. The broad green 
pastures, surrounded with a fringe of tall evergreens and the 
blue, sparkling waters of Old Puget Sound gleaming in the 
distance. 

A few miles on and the site of old Fort Nesqually is 
reached. Although but one of the original buildings remains 
and in the immediate neighborhood are the squalid huts, for- 
merly used by the employes of a powder company, this spot 
is full of interest to the historian. 

Fort Nesqually was established in 1833 by Archibald Mc- 
Donald, for years a noted factor and trader of the Hudson 
Bay Company. For years the Indians came in large bands to 
this fort from their camps on Admiralty Inlet and Puget 
Sound, as well as from far along the Coast, with their furs 
and skins to barter with the Boston men. All the buildings 
were situated on or near the banks of Sequalachew Creek and 
were of logs, the principal one being fifty-five feet long. 



PIOXEER RE:\irN:iSCENCES 261 

twenty feet wide and twelve feet high. The roofs were of 
cedar bark held in place by poles and the floors were of 
puncheon. An immense fireplace with the chimney built 
of sticks plastered with clay, warmed the large main room. 

At one time, Avell within the memory of several Thurston 
County pioneers. Fort Steilacoom was presided over by Dr. 
AVilliam Fraser Tolmie. chief factor for the Hudson Bay Com- 
pany. 

Reaching Steilacoom the beholder is enchanted with the 
loveliness of the view of the Sound from the town, as it 
stretches out wide and beautiful, with McNeils and other 
smaller islands in the distance. The bell crowned stone 
monument, marking the site of the first Protestant Church 
built north of the Columbia River, and the quaint little Catholic 
Church, are the interesting points in this town of by-gone days. 
The tourist will loiter an hour in the quaint old town and 
then on to what was Fort Steilacoom. 

The hugh pile of bricks with its iron grated wards filled 
with gibbering, gesticulating maniacs, the squads of the more 
orderly inmates in charge of their attendants working and 
T-esting around the beautiful grounds is, perhaps, a sight to 
interest the curious, but one which fills the average beholder 
with sadness. Here the cottages which were officers' quarters 
in the days of military occupancy of the place are now used 
as homes for the assistant physicians, engineer and accountants, 
employed in the asylum. In a field adjoining are still to be 
seen the "Z" shaped earth works thrown up by the soldiers of 
Captain Pickett's regiment. For over twenty-five years one of 
the attendants in the men's ward of the asylum has been ]\Ir. 
Fred Guyot, formerly an Olympia boy, son of Julian Guyot. 
the pioneer jeweler of Olympia. Fred was bom in Calaveras 
County, California, in 1851. His father, a native of Switzer- 
land had, with his young wife, been among the gold seekers of 
'49. On July 4, 1859. shortly after the death of Fred's mother. 
the elder Guyot and his little son left San Francisco for Puget 
Sound. The trip was made on the steamship Northerner and 
was the last voyage of this vessel, as upon her return to San 
Francisco she was wrecked off the Oregon coast. 

When the Guyots arrived at Olympia the steamer landed 
at the historic Brown's "Wharf on the "West Side. Father and 



262 THURSTON COUNTY 

son, with other passengers, were brought to the town in a row 
boat, which was manned and operated for hire by the brothei"s 
^Uonzo and Theodore Woodard. Until a permanent boarding 
place could be found the new arrivals stayed at the Pacific 
Hotel, which was then managed by ]\Irs. Warbass. The elder 
Guyot engaged in the jewelry and watch repairing business. 
Watches were sent him from all over the western part of 
the territory to be made as good as new again. 

Mr. Julian Guyot died in Olympia in 1877. The younger 
Guyot attended the public school of the place, and remembers 
John and Robert Yantis, Billy Clark, Bernham Huntington, Will 
Reinhart, Ben Cock, Frank Hicks, Lizzie Warbass, and Fannie 
Yantis, as among his schoolmates. His first Sunday School 
teacher was Mrs. George F. Whitworth. Mr. Guyot was ap- 
pointed attendant at the asylum under Dr. Waughop, in 1889. 
The visitor to Steilacoom strolling through the abandoned 
cemetery in the rear of the huge pile of buildings and within 
the asylum enclosure finds plenty of food for reflection upon 
the unstability of human greatness. Here, underneath a mossy 
siab of marble with the lettering all but defaced, the wild 
grasses growing in a tangle within the little enclosure made 
of decaying pickets rest the remains of the fourth governor 
of the territory, Col. William H. Wallace. 

Within a few feet from the grave of this honored man 
is standing a wooden slab bearing this inscription: "In mem- 
ory of Charles McDonald, aged 36 years. Died at the hands 
of violence, 1870." 

Mr. Guyot 's account of the tragic circumstances of ]Me- 
Donald 's death is given in his own words : ' ' Charlie ]Mc- 
Donald and his partner, named Gibson, had staked out a claim 
not far from Fort Steilacoom, which they had worked and 
improved until thej^ had developed a valuable property. ]Mc- 
Donald was a remarkably handsome young man with black 
flashing eyes, black hair, worn, as was the fashion of the time, 
well down over his coat collar, erect figure and gallant bear- 
ing. He was a fine figure of a man as he rode into town 
mounted on his spirited horse. 

Now, infesting the prairie and surrounding section held 
forth as lawless and vicious a band of men as could be found 
on the frontier. The leader of these leagued rogues had cast 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 2fi3 

covetous eyes upon IMcDouald's and Gibson's claim, and as 
was so often done in those Avild days took steps to secure the 
land by preferring the charge that the partners were what 
was known in the parlance of the day. "claim jumpers." jMc- 
Donald and Gibson acknowledged the subpeona served upon 
them and set out to appear in court to answer to the summons. 

When within a short distance from the fort, where the 
trail wound through the woods, the men were ambushed 
by the gang of claim jumpers, who began pouring a rain of 
bullets at them. Their horses dashed forward and McDonald 
escaped unharmed, but not so Gibson, who Vv^as unfortunate 
enough to receive eight bullet wounds in his arms and leg's, 
none striking a vital spot, however. ^McDonald helped his 
partner into the fort, where he was turned over to the army 
physician to have his wounds dressed. The young man then 
rode on into the town of Steilacoom to demand protection of 
the Sheriff. Ike Carson, who was, however, out of the country, 
as the mob well knew. Soon the gang followed him into town, 
ranging themselves in line on the opposite side of the street 
from a saloon in which IMcDonald was standing and began to 
call upon him to show himself. Thinking to argue with the 
mob. ^McDonald stepped to the door, and said. "Xow, boys, let's 
talk this matter over. There must be some misunderstanding 
and to show you that I want peace I'll throw my gun away." 
Suiting the action to the word he hurled his weapon into the 
dust of the street. Scarcely had he done so, however, when 
the gang opened fire. Eealizing then that they would not stop 
short of murder, ^McDonald turned and ran through the saloon 
and dov\'n an alley in the rear. The men started after him in 
full cry, firing as they ran. Before the fugitive had gone forty 
feet a bullet reached its mark and he fell mortally wounded. 

As he lay there in the pitiless sun, a small boy, attracted 
by the shots, came down the alley. Hearing ^McDonald's gasp- 
ing cry for "water" the lad started to bring him some, but 
the leader of the murderers stepped out and warned the child 
that McDonald's fate would be his if he dared to relieve his 
distress, the boy shrank, whimpering away, leaving the dying 
man to groan aloud in his death agony. 

But, look, is this an angel bending piteously over the 
sufferer? So she must have seemed to ]\IcDonald as his dving 



264 THURSTON COUNTY 

gaze looked into the sad, tender eyes of a Sister of Charitj'. 

This sister, one of a band of noble women inhabiting the 
nunnery, which the Catholic Church had early established in 
Steilacoom, had hastened to the awful scene as soon as she 
heard the shots and realized that her ministrations might be 
needed. 

"Go, sister, leave me, your life is in danger," gasped ^.le- 
Donald. "By all the powers of God, church and humanity, T 
dare them to interfere with me," said the Sister as she moist- 
ened the lips and straightened the limbs of the dying man. 
Not one of that lawless band moved a finger to prevent the 
sister in her work of mercy. When life was extinct ^McDonald's 
remains were taken into the little old Catholic Church, which 
still stands as a shrine to the weary at the top of the hill, and 
tenderly prepared for burial. Not yet satisfied with their 
bloody work the mob started back along the road to find Gib- 
son, The latter, after having his wounds dressed, had insisted 
on being placed in a wagon and started to town to learn the 
late of his partner, IMcDonald. Within a mile of town the mob 
met and surrounded the vehicle. Gibson, weak and almost 
fainting from loss of blood, raised himself in the wagonbed 
until he could snatch the revolver from the belt of the Indian 
driver. One shot was all he had strength for but that struck 
one of the mob in the leg, and had Gibson not been too over- 
come with the exertion to take aim correctly he would have 
avenged McDonald's death. The mob made short work of 
Gibson and shot him through the head. 

Almost within the shadow of the asylum is the spot where 
Chief Lesehi expiated his crime of the murder of Joseph 
Miles and A. Benton JMoses at the beginning of the Indian 
war. This Indian had been surrendered by one of his relatives 
for a reward of fifty blankets. Lesehi was brought to trial 
before a jury, among whom were Ezra Meeker and Wm. ]\I. 
Kincaid. After listening to the evidence these men stood for 
acquittal with the result that the jury, being unable to agree, 
was finally discharged. At a second trial before Chief Justice 
Lander the Indian was convicted and sentenced to be hung. 
Appeal was then taken to the Supreme Court which staA'ed 
the execution for a while. The case was this time argned 
before Justices 0. B. McFadden and F. A. Chenoweth. The 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 265 

decision against Lesehi by the Court was unanimous. The 
opinion was wrilten by Judge IMcFadden and sealed Lesehi 's 
doom. The date of execution was set for January 22, 1858. 

Lesehi was then sent to Fort Steilacoom to await the ful- 
fillment of his sentence. Dr. Tolmie and other officials of 
the Hudson Bay Company took active steps to secure a pardon 
from Governor McMullen, but this was refused. 

When the day of execution finally arrived Lesehi 's friends 
.secured a further delay by working a clever trick. The sherilf 
cf Pierce County and his deputy were placed under arrest by 
L;Gulenar.t McKibben, who had been appointed a deputy Unit- 
ed States Marshal, the trumped up charge against the Sheriff 
aiid deputy being. tlie selling of liquor to Indians. They were 
released from custody as soon as the hour set for the execu- 
tion was passed. This action on the part of the military offi- 
cers and Hudson Bay people led to intense indignation among 
the citizens. ]\Iass meetings v\^ere held in Steilacoom and Olym- 
pia, at w^hich Governor McMullen and Secretary Mason voiced 
the indignation of the people at the manner in which the law 
had been trampled on, and a series of resolutions were adopted 
denouncing, by name the officers of Forts Nesqually and Steil- 
acoom and Lesehi 's attorney. As the Territorial Legislature w^as 
in session an act was railroaded through both houses demand- 
ing a special session of the Supreme Court to pronounce upon 
the case of Lesehi as it then stood. 

At this special session the prisoner was resentenced for a 
third time and William Mitchell, then acting Sheriff of Thurs- 
ton County was appointed to carry the sentence into execution. 
The date fixed was February 19. Captain Isaac Hays, Sheriff' 
of Thurston County, was at this time absent from the state, so 
the unpleasant duty naturally fell upon the deputy. 
In Mr. Mitchell's words: 

"On the day set for the execution, Ed. Furst, John Head, 
George Blankenship, Charley Granger and myself set out on 
horseback and went to Fort Steilacoom, where the prisoner Avas 
turned over to me. The scaffold had been erected about a half 
mile from the fort and there the execution took place. Know- 
ing that Charley Granger had been a sailor, I asked him to tie 
the noose about the neck of the condemned man, which he did. 
Lesehi made a speech to the Indians that were there, but as 



266 



THURSTON COUNTY 



his talk was in his native tongue and no interpreter being pro- 
vided I do not know what he said. These formalities having 
been gone through with, I knocked the pin out from under the 
trapdoor and Chief Leschi was sent to the happy hunting 
grounds. He was undoubtedly as cruel and cunning an Indian 
as there was in the Puget Sound country and deserved 
hanging." 

The scene of the closing act of the "Tragedy of 
Leschi" was a short distance east of Fort Steilacoom and near 
the north end of the lake of that name. Here the prairie sinks 
into a rounding depression forming a natural ampitheatre, in 
the center of which the gallows had been erected. The scene 
must have been a dismal one ; the rain drizzled down, dripping 
drearily from the fringe of stunted oaks which outlined the 
depression. Making a hollow square around the rude scaffold 
was a line of soldiers and a considerable number of Indians 
and settlers stood near watching the end of the tragedy. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 267 



THE CROSBY FAMILY 



Like unto a saga of old, runs the story of the coming of the 
Crosby family into the West. In all the wild experiences re- 
lated during the compilation of this book, none were more 
picturesque and interesting than the history of an entire fam- 
ily of stalwart sons and fair daughters with their aged, but 
sturdy father, coming with their own ship, laden with their 
own goods, their children and themselves, to take their part in 
conquering the wilderness. 'Way back in 1846 the United 
States government sent Capt. Nathaniel Crosby — one of a fam- 
ily of sea captains — in command of the brig 0. C. Raymond, 
to take supplies to relieve the distress of those immigrants,, whoi 
illy prepared, as were all too many, had joined the wild rush 
to seek their fortunes on the Pacific Coast. 

So impressed was Capt. Crosby with the prospects of for- 
tunes to be gained in this land of opportunities for the venture- 
some, that he decided to have his kinsmen join him. After 
sending back for his brothers to buy and fit out a brig with 
everything needful for a home in the West, he waited with 
what patience he might, the arrival of his family. 

Clanrick Crosby, an elder brother, bought the brig Grecian 
— 270 tons capacity — and the start was made in 1849. Clanrick 
was captain of the brig, with a brother-in-law, Washington 
Hurd, first officer and Alfred Crosby second officer. In the 
cabin were: Captain Nathaniel Crosby, Sr., father of Captain 
Clanrick and Officer Alfred Crosby, who remained in the West 
a couple of years before returning to his home in Cape Cod, 
Massachusetts, where he died, Mrs. Clanrick Crosby, Phoebe, 
and their three children, Clanrick, Phoebe Louisa and Cecelia, 
Mrs. Elizabeth Hurd and little daughter, Ella — Mrs. Hurd was 
Captain Crosby's sister, Mrs. Clara Nickerson Crosby, wife of 
Alfred Crosby, Mrs. Mary Crosby, wife of Capt. Nathaniel, Jr., 
and their three children, Nathaniel, Mary L. and Martha R., 
Mrs. Holmes, companion and housekeeper, and one passenger, 



268 THURSTON COUNTY 

Mr. Converse Lilly. Before the mas^t were Richard Hartley. 
Joseph Taylor and Foster and Nathaniel Lincoln, brothers of 
Mrs. Nathaniel Crosby, Jr. The Grecian arrived at Portland 
in March, 1850. 

The two elder Crosby brothers came on to Tuniwater, Capt. 
Nathaniel remaining in Oregon. Among the Crosby children 
who made the famous trip in the Grecian was the little Martha, 
then nine years of age. That child is now Mrs. Andrew J. 
Burr and the reminiscences contributed by this lady were 
among the most interesting of the many related by pioneer 
men and women during the preparation of this volume. After 
living in Portland until she was 11 years old, her father, Capt. 
Nathaniel Crosby, took a cargo of spars from St. Helens, Ore- 
gon, to Hong Kong, China, the first big sticks that were ever 
sent from the Pacific Coast forests to the Orient. After a couple 
of ,years of wandering in various ports, Capt. Crosby, leaving 
his family in China, came to Olympia and loaded his ship with 
a second cargo of spars for China, this second load having 
been cut from Butlers Cove, and was the first shipment of 
Puget Sound timber. In Hong Kong the Crosby family re- 
mained for several j'ears. Martha and the other children were 
sent to school there and the child became a young woman. 
Here Capt. Crosby died, the family still making their home 
in this foreign land. In 1864 IMartha became the wife of 
Samuel C. Woodruff, a wealthy ship chandler of Hong Kong. 

Her first child, Samuel L. Woodruff, was born there. The 
cholera was raging at this time in China, so the young mother 
brought her son to San Francisco until the danger had abated 
a little. While living in this city her second child, Ada, was 
born. 

With her two little children ]\Irs. Wooruff came to Olympia 
to visit her mother and brothers. The very first steamer which 
came into port after their arrival here brought the news that 
Mr. Woodruff had died from an attack of cholera. The widow 
and her children continued to make Tumwater their home for 
the following two years. Then she met and, in due time, was 
married to Andrew J. Burr. The wedding took place in the 
old Crosby house in Tumwater and Mr. and Mrs. Burr came to 
Olympia to make their home. 

To them were born three children, ]\Iaud, now ^Irs. T. F. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 269 

Basse of Seattle ; Chas. A. Burr, still of Olympia, and June Burr 
of Seattle. 

Mr. Burr was possessed of considerable property at one 
time in Olympia and was one of the city's leading spirits in 
business and political affairs. For eight years he was post- 
master of the Capital City, and in his prime was quite noted 
for his political speaking. He at one time stumped the territory 
with Selucius Garfielde in one of the hottest campaigns known 
in the history of his party. He was of an extraordinarily genial 
and witty nature and his speeches were in great demand when 
there was a political strife being carried on. 

Mr. Burr died in Olympia in the year 1900. 

Of the two children born to Mrs. Burr by her former 
marriage both have become prominently known in their re- 
spective life's work — Sam Woodruff having been identified 
with the state institutions, formerly with the Western Wash- 
ington Hospital for Insane and at present the efficient super- 
intendent of the School for Defective Youth at Medical Lake. 
Ada Woodruff Anderson is an authoress of more than state- 
wide celebrity, having been the writer of several novels and 
magazine stories and sketches which have brought her name 
prominently before the literary world. She makes her home 
on Mercer Island, near Seattle. At one time Mrs. Anderson 
taught the county school at Yelm Prairie. She tells with some 
reminiscent pride that her teacher's certificate was presented 
to her upon her graduation by the late Rev. John R. Thompson. 

Among Mrs. Burr's personal reminiscences is singing 
in the now famous choir of the Taylor Street M. E. Church 
when she was still a mere child. Beside her in this choir, 
singing with all his sweet young voice stood John Miller 
]\Iurphy. This was in Portland before either the little ]Martha 
or Johnnie Murphy came to Puget Sound. 

Soon after the arrival of the Crosby family in Portland 
Martha and her sister were invited to join some young people 
of the settlement on a blackberry picking expedition on a cer- 
tain day of the week. As the children were anxious to get 
acquainted the invitation was accepted. On the appointed day 
early in the morning, the sisters commenced to get ready for 
their first social function in the West. White dresses were 
carefully pressed out, hair put up in curl papers and strapped 



270 THURSTON COUNTY 

slippers donned over spotless white stockings. The sisters 
were chagrined when their companions arrived to accompany 
them to the berry patch and they saw how inappropriate was 
their attire. 

Mrs. Burr now makes her home in Seattle with her 
daughter, Mrs. Basse. 

Captain Clanrick Crosby was one of the dominant spirits 
in Tumwater for many years, foremost in every enterprise 
for the development and advancement of the community. He 
it was who presented the original plot of land for the Masonic 
and Odd Fellows cemeteries. 

The children of Clanrick and ]\Irs. Crosby were Clan- 
rick, jr., dead these many years, Phoebe Louise, Cecelia, Win, 
Walter and Fannie. The eldest daughter is Mrs. George Biles 
and the youngest girl is well known, not onlj^ in Olympia, but 
Seattle, and Alaska points as well, as Mrs. John Y. Ostrander, 

Walter Crosby is too well known in Olympia to need any 
description. These two younger Crosbys were born after Capt. 
and Mrs. Clanrick Crosby reached Tumwater. Mrs. Biles 
being the oldest of the living children of Clanrick Crosby 
was invited to contribute her reminiscences of her early life 
in Tumwater. This lady was about nine years of age when 
the Indian Avar broke out and well remembers the night some 
friendly Indians came to her father's house and warned Mr. 
Crosby that there was danger of an attack from the hostiles. 
Already the few residents of Tumwater had built the block 
house which stood for many years at the end of the bridge 
across the Des Chutes River, but so far many of the families 
continued to live in their own houses. 

On this particular night Mr. Crosby was inclined to be 
skeptical of there being any real danger, but the Indians told 
him to watch for the light of burning buildings, and sure 
enough, as soon as it was quite dark the heavens were lighted 
up with the flare of the Glasgow and Linklighter barns, 
which had been set on fire by the enemy. 

That Avas convincing proof that the Indians were sincere 
in giving the alarm. Hastily rousing the children from their 
beds and dressing them, flight to the block house was made. 
The little Phoebe — ]\Irs. Biles — was the proud possessor of a 
bran new sun bonnet, which in the haste of the family to get 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 271 

away, was left hanging on the kitchen wall. After reaching 
the fort, while her parents were getting the younger children 
settled for the remainder of the night, the little girl slipped out 
in the dark and ran all alone all the way to her home to get 
her precious sun bonnet. 

Phoebe returned in safety, but her parents reprimanded 
her severely for the fright she had given them. 

In later years, 1865, Phoebe was married to George Biles, 
himself the son of a pioneer. His father, James Biles, with 
his wife and seven children, had arrived in Tumwater in 1853. 

Accustomed as was the Biles family to the comparative 
luxury of a Kentucky plantation, the life on Puget Sound was 
a striking contrast. Clams, salmon and potatoes for staples 
of diet, a log cabin to live in and nearest neighbors savage 
Indians, the prospect was not especially alluring, but with 
characteristic pluck and energy Mr. Biles succeeded in carving 
a comfortable home out of the wilderness. 

The Biles family were among the very first emigrants to 
reach this section through the wild Natchez Pass. Before 
reaching this pass their train was met by Ashur Seargent, who 
was then acting as a guide to divert travel to the Puget Sound 
country. 

Besides George Biles there were these children in the Biles 
family : James B., Kate E., now Mrs. F. M. Seargent of Seattle, 
S. Isabelle, now Mrs. M. S. Drew, of Port Gamble. 



272 THURSTON COUNTY 



B. F. YANTIS 



Snow beginning the latter part of October and falling to 
a depth of fifteen inches, and himself and eight children being 
forced to subsist on potatoes and dried salmon straight all 
through the winter months, was the experience of Judge 3, 
F. Yantis and famil}^ when they reached Bush Prairie in 1S52. 

Starting in the Spring of that j'ear from the old home in 
Missouri, where, although money might be a little scarce, 
there was an abundance of the fat of the land for subsistence, 
travelling all those long, weary months over the old Oregon 
trail, leaving his wife and the mother of his children in a lonely 
grave on the sage brush plains of Idaho, with his motherless 
child, Fannie, an infant of but three years of age, the prospect 
awaiting the hardy emigrant when he reached the El Dorado 
of his dreams seemed cold and forbidding. 

The trip, undertaken in company with a number of kins- 
men and friends, had been an unusually trying experience. 
Besides that of Mrs. Yantis, there were many other deaths 
occurring in the train, owing to the appearance of black 
measles, a sister, Mrs. Eliza Ostrander, with her children, 
being among the sufferers. Judge Yantis' oldest daughter, 
Mrs. W. H. Pullen, with her three-year-old baby in her arms, 
was obliged, as were all the women and children, to walk 
across the five miles of portage below The Dalles. This child 
was ill when the w^eary march through the hot sun was be- 
gun, and grew rapidly worse as the mother plodded along. 
Before the little boat was reached in which the party was 
to be brought on down the Columbia, the babj' was dead in 
the distracted mother's arms. That evening a tiny grave was 
made by the banks of the majestic river and the party were 
obliged to proceed on their journey. 

When the Big Sandy was reached the march was again 
resumed to the Cowlitz River, where Indian canoes and ba- 
teaus were employed to bring the weary emigrants to Cow- 




B. F. YANTIS 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 273 

litz Landing. Judge Yantis' oxen were so exhausted by the 
trip across the plains that he left them to be wintered at The 
Dalles. In the Spring he found that all had perished but one 
ox. But nothing dismayed, and with the pluck and endur- 
ance which was characteristic of the sturdy pioneers, Judge 
Yantis at once p^'oeeeded to take advantage of the opportunity 
he saw on every hand, for bettering his financial affairs. A 
homestead was pre-empted out on Bush Prairie, a few miles 
from where Plum Station now is, and a comfortable home was 
soon established. 

Before the family had lived many months in their new 
home, another terrible blow was dealt them. The oldest boy, 
James, became a pony express rider, carrying the mail from 
Cowlitz Landing to Olympia. One day, being hot and dusty 
from the riding, he went in swimming in Barnes' Lake, and 
contracted inflammatory rheumatism, which caused his death 
within a few days. 

After several years spent on the homestead. Judge Yantis 
moved into Olympia and took a contract for carrying mail and 
passengers from Cowlitz Landing to Olympia. This was a two 
days' travel, over what has frequently been described by other 
pioneers as the "worst roads on earth," but the mail was 
always delivered with regularity, and the passengers in safety. 

While living in Missouri B. F. Yantis was Judge of the 
Superior Court of Saline County, and after reaching the West, 
served in the first Territorial Legislature. He was an un- 
swerving Democrat and a life-long member of the Presbyterian 
Church, and was the first Entered Apprentice initiated in Ma- 
sonry north of the Columbia River. A man of high ideals 
of honor and justice. Judge Yantis was held in great esteem 
by his fellow pioneers. 

His children were : Mrs. W. H. Pullen, who in later 
years became Mrs. Richard Wood, and the mother of Oscar 
and Addie Wood; Sarah, who was made a girl widow when 
her husband of a few months, was killed at the beginning of 
the Indian war. It was for the killing of ]\Ioses that Chief 
Leschi was hung, after peace was declared. Sarah afterwards 
became the wife of George C. Blankenship, and the mother 
of George E. and Robert L. Blankenship; James H. Yantis, 
the lad who died on Bush Prairie; Wm. M., Robert L., John 



274 THURSTON COUNTY 

v., Mary, who died in infancy, and Frances L., wife of Capt. 
J. J. Gilbert. Of this goodly family of sons and daughters 
the youngest son, John V. is left — the last leaf on the tree. 
His living children are George, Annie, Robert, Hope, and 
Faith. 



REESE A. BREWER 



Reese A. Brewer, a well known pioneer of Thurston County, 
was born in Arkansas, in 1835. He came across the plains with 
his mother, two brothers and two sisters, and settled near 
Eugene, Oregon, and lived on a farm there until 1860, when 
he came to Washington and settled on Grand Mound prairie, 
in the southern part of Thurston County. Here he lived until 
his death in 1909. 

Mr. Brewer was a member of the Territorial Legislature 
in the early eighties ; also a Justice of the Peace at Grand 
Mound for six j^ears ; postmaster seven years, and served two 
terms as County Commissioner, and was Chairman of the 
Board when the Thurston County court house was built, 
which is now the west half of the present state capitol building. 

Reese A. Brewer was married to Eliza A. Johnson, the 
daughter of another Thurston County pioneer family, she hav- 
ing crossed the plains from her native state, Iowa, in 1852 
Mrs. Brewer died at the early age of 27 years. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 275 



WILLIAM BILLINGS 



Among the documents and papers from which facts re- 
garding Thurston County's pioneers were found, none were 
of more service to the compiler than the scrap book formerly 
belonging to Theodore L. Brown and loaned to the writer by 
his wife, Martha. Mr. Brown realized that the actual pioneers 
were rapidly being called, that soon there would be none left 
to tell the story, so he made an effort to collect brief sketches 
of as many of his old friends as he could reach. Among 
those who complied with Mr. Brown's request for a life his- 
tory was Mr. William Billings. 

With characteristic modesty, Mr. Billings related only the 
baldest facts concerning a life rich with experience and ad- 
venture. A man who had been repeatedly honored by his gov- 
ernment, and his fellow citizens, by appointment and election 
to important offices, a man who had always stood for the 
right, and who had never betrayed the trust of his fellow 
men, what an opportunity for self laudation was afforded him 
by Mr. Brown's request. 

The compiler, respecting Mr. Billing's memory, deems 
that no words of hers can be more eloquent or expressive than 
his own, written but a few months before his death; 



''Olympia, May 25, 1908. 
**Mr. Brown, 

"Dear Sir: In compliance with my promise, I will give 
you a short account of my life. 

"I was born in the town of Ripton, Addison County, Ver- 
mont, October 27, 1827, where I lived until I was 19 years old. 
Then I left home and came around Cape Horn on a whaling 
vessel as a hand before the mast. 

"I arrived at Sandwich Islands in 1848, when I left my 
ship and stayed there till June, 1849, and while there I learned 



276 THURSTON COUNTY 

of the discovery of gold in California. I then came to San 
Francisco, arriving on July 4. 1849. 

''I stayed but a short time in California. Came to Ore- 
gon, landing at Portland on the 8th of September, 1849. Ee- 
mained in Portland till July, 1851, when I came to Olympia. 
then a part of Oregon. Olj^mpia has been my home ever since. 
When the Indian war broke out in 1855, I joined the volunteers. 

"In 1860 I was elected Sheriff of Thurston County and re- 
mained as Sheriff between twenty-three and twenty-four years. 
I have held the position of Deputy U. S. Marshal under United 
States Marshals C. E. Weed, Huntington, Hopkins, Phillip 
Eitz and E. S. Kearney. 

"I kept all the convicts in the Territory on a contract with 
the Territory for nine years and was in charge of the Indians 
on the reservation for about five years, living among them 
with my family-, and must say I always fovmd the Indiana 
good, kind neighbors. 

"Now, this is all I have to say and I am glad to be done, 
for I am shaky, half blind and feel that my time now is very 
short. William Billings." 

Although Mr. Billings did not elaborate on any of the 
events of his life, some of the incidents are too closely con- 
nected with the early history of Thurston County to be ignored. 

In 1877 he contracted with the Territory to build a jail 
at his own expense, take all the prisoners as soon as convicted, 
care for, board, clothe and protect them during their confine- 
ment at the price of seventy cents each, per day, he being per- 
mitted to use their services in any way he saw fit. He built 
his jail at Seatco, started a cooper establishment, developed a 
coal mine and organized the Seatco Manufacturing Company 
for making sash, doors and blinds, continuing this contract 
pabor for a term of nine years. 

At the time he served as Superintendent of the Puyallup 
Indian reservation there was not a white resident between 
that reservation and Fort Steilacoom, and for weeks at a time 
his family were alone among 600 Indians. That he found these 
Indians "good, kind neighbors," is an eloquent tribute to Mr. 
Billings' kindlj^ management of the affairs of the reservation. 

Mr. Billings was a volunteer in Company B, First Eegi- 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 



277 



ment, Capt. Gilmore Hays, during the Indian war and took 
part in the engagements of Green River, White River and 
South Prairie. 

From 1869 to 1891 Mr. Billings was Sheriff of Thurston 
County, being continuously elected and re-elected on the Re- 
publican ticket, being the first man elected in Thurston 
County on that ticket. 

Mr. Billings was married in 1861 to Miss Mary Ann 
Kandle of Tumwater, who died in 1868, leaving two children, 
one of whom is Charles A. Billings, one of Olympia's promi- 
nent residents. 

In 1873 Mr. Billings was again married, this time to Miss 
Jeannette M. Ballentyne. Five children were born to them : 
Frederick D., John Alden, Eunice Cleora, Laura Alice, de- 
ceased, and Laura Blanche. 

The widow, with her daughter, Laura Blanche, live in 
their home on the corner of Ninth and Franklin Streets, 
Blanche being a stenographer in the State Industrial Insurance 
Commission. 



278 THURSTON COUNTY 



R. H. MILROY 



While General Robert Houston Milroy and his wife cannot 
be counted among the original pioneers who fought their way, 
step by step, through the wilderness, their arrival in Olympia 
as early as 1869, to take up the important duties of Superin- 
tendent of Indian Affairs in the rapidly developing Territory 
of Washington, and the respect and honor with which the 
memories of General Milroy and his wife, Mary Armitage 
Milroy, are cherished in the minds of the early Olympians, 
surely entitle them to a prominent niche in this collection of 
pioneer sketches. 

General Milroy's name is remembered with the respect 
due to a patriot, a brave soldier and a public spirited citizen. 
Mrs. Milroy, with her lovely character, Christian life and 
womanly graces, was an inspiration towards all good to her 
devoted family and wide circle of friends. R. H. Milroy was 
a native of Washington County, Indiana, and was bom in the 
year 1816. 

His ancestry and parentage were from an aristocratic 
Scotch family. Indeed, the Milroys could trace their ancestry 
in a direct line back to Robert Bruce. 

R. H. Milroy was educated in the Military Academy of 
Norwich, Vermont, where he graduated in 1843, Master of 
Arts, of Law and of Civil Engineering and of Military Sciences. 
He was valedictorian of his class. In 1850 he received a 
diploma from the law school of Bloomington, Indiana, which 
institution conferred on him the degree of B. L. 

He was engaged in the practice of law when he was called 
upon to take part in the war with Mexico, where he rendered 
his country gallant service as Captain of the First Indiana 
Regiment. After this war he was commissioned Judge of the 
Eighth Judicial District of Indiana. At the breaking out of 
the Civil war Capt. Milroy was commissioned Colonel of the 
Ninth Indiana Volunteers, serving under Gen. McClellan in 
Western Virginia, and taking part in the battles of Grafton, 
Philippi and Laurel Hill. 

He was later commissioned Brigadier General, and placed 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 279 

in command of the mountain department and put an effective 
stop to guerrilla warfare in Western Virginia. President 
Jefferson Davis made Milroy's order in regard to punishment 
of guerrilla warfare the subject of a special message to the 
Legislature and that body offered a reward of ten thousand 
dollars for General Milroy, dead or alive. Milroy and General 
Butler were the only Union Generals thus honored by the 
Southern Congress. For his gallant actions in the battles of 
McDowell and the second battle of Bull Run, he was made 
IMajor General of the second division of the Eighth Army 
Corps, nine thousand strong, and with McReynolds' brigade, 
occupied Winchester, July 11, 1863. He fought his last battle 
in the war against Generals Forrest and Bates on the field at 
Murfreesboro, and defeated their combined forces. 

General Milroy resigned his command July 26, 1865, after 
having served valiantly in the great struggle for the upholding 
of the Union. After the war General Milroy was appointed 
trustee of the Wabash and Erie Canal Company, and from 
1869 to 1874 he was Superintendent of Indian Affairs in Wash- 
ington territory. 

From this date to the time of his death, General Milroy 
was identified with Olympia and took an active interest in the 
growth and development of the city. He built the house on 
the corner of Eleventh and Main streets, which was the Milroy 
home until after the family was broken up by the death of 
Mrs. Milroy, and where General jMilroy ceased his earthly 
labors on the 29th of March, 1890. 

Of the seven children bom to General and Mrs. Millroy 
only three are still living, Robert Bruce, Valerius A. and 
Walter J. The son Valerius or Val, as he is commonly known 
in Olympia, has remained faithful to his boyhood home. Com- 
ing here when but a lad of 18 years, he became a clerk in his 
father's office, and from there spent a few years in surveying, 
and learning the printers' trade. He was at one time engaged 
in the livery business with Mr. M. 'Conner, and was ap- 
pointed postmaster of Olympia by President Harrison. After 
the expiration of his term of office he was elected city clerk, 
and has since held positions of honor and trust. Val is still 
unmarried. Of the other sons, Robert Bruce, with his family, 
lives in Yakima, and Walter J. and wife live in Victoria, B. C. 



280 THURSTON COUNTY 

JOHN BEARD ALLEN 



John Beard Allen was born at Crawfordsville, Montgom- 
ery County, Indiana, May 18, 1845. 

He was the son of Joseph S. Allen, a prominent physician 
and surgeon of that town and Hannah (Beard) Allen, daughter 
of Hon. John Beard of the same place. 

John Beard was called "the father of Montgomery Coun- 
ty" from the fact of his having represented it for some twenty 
odd years in the Legislature. He was a strong figure in the 
early political annals of Indiana. 

John Allen received his education in the common schools 
of his native town and at Wabash College, located there. He 
showed at school a great fondness and attitude for mathe- 
matical studies, also for history, especially political history. 

He cared, apparently, but little for the languages and 
literature. During the "Morgan Raid" into Indiana and Ohio, 
one of the exciting episodes of the Civil war, John Allen served 
as a "Minuteman" until the capture of Morgan. He also en- 
listed in the 135th Indiana Infantry, under a call for five 
months service in 1863 and served over seven months. He 
was honorably discharged from both these enlistments. 

In 1865 the family removed to Rochester, Minnesota. Here 
after a year spent in business, principally in buying wheat, he 
entered the law office of Hon. C. C. Wilson, as a student, later 
attending a course of law lectures at the University of ^lich- 
igan. 

In 1868 he began legal practice at Goshen, Indiana, in 
partnership with the late Hon. J. J. Brown, of Spokane, who 
had been a schoolmate at Wabash and Ann Arbor. 

He was recalled to Rochester by the last illness of his 
mother, who died in December of that year. 

Yielding to the persuasions of his family, he determined 
to remain at Rochester. Here he was elected City Attorney 
in 1869, when barely twenty-four years of age. 

Early in 1870 he came to Washington Territory, bring- 
ing with him a very considerable sum of money, which had 
been intrusted to him for investment by his father and busi- 
nessmen of Rochester. 

The money was invested with remarkably good judgment. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 281 

considering the then undeveloped state of the country and his 
entire lack of experience in that line of business. 

After looking over the "Sound" country he selected Olym- 
pia as his home, considering it likely to be selected by the 
Northern Pacific Railway Company as its western terminus. 

He opened a law office in the old "Good Templars Hall," 
paying office rent, by acting as janitor of the building. He 
did not remain long in this location for in the early fall of 
3871, he was found in the Cushman Land Office- building with 
a pretty fair office equipment and a considerable law prac- 
tice. This progress seems quite remarkable when we recall 
the great strength of the Olympia Bar, which at that time 
carried such names as Selucius Garfielde, 0. B. McFadden, 
J. E. Wyche, Elwood Evans, B. F. Dennison, Elisha P. Ferry 
and Henry G. Struve, all strong men and some of them giants 
in the law. 

In September, 1871, he was married to Miss M. Cecelia Bate- 
man, of Lamont, Michigan, a woman of great intellectual ability 
and unusual force of character. He continued to reside at 
Olympia until 1881, when he removed to Walla Walla. In 1875 
he was appointed U. S. Attorney for Washington Territory, 
which office he held by successive appointments, for ten years. 

lu 1889 he was elected delegate to Congress on the Re- 
publican ticket and the Territory having been admitted as a 
State before he took- his seat as delegate, he was elected the 
first U. S. Senator, drawing a four year term. Ex-Gov. AVat- 
son C, Squire was the other Senator elected. He was a can- 
didate for reelection to the Senate in. 1893, but by a strange 
combination of circumstances and political factors, the session 
was deadlocked , and there was no election. He was appointed 
by Gov. McGraw to fill the vacancy, but the appointment was 
unavailing, under the rule and precedents of the Senate. ■ 

Mr. Allen was the overwhelming choice of his party both 
in State and Legislature, but a suffieint number of Republicans 
refused to go into caucus to prevent his election. On the ex- 
piration of his Senatorial term in 1894, he removed to Seattle, 
where he practiced his profession until his death, January 
28, 1903, from an attack of angina pectoris. 

He was a member of the firm of Struve, Allen, Hughes & 
McMicken during all this time. 



282 THURSTON COUNTY 



RECOLLECTIONS OF A NATIVE SON 



A peculiar charm hovers about the scenes of one's early 
childhood ; an atmosphere surrounds them that ever appeals to 
the adult, and no matter how far removed from the place of 
birth and boyhood, in later years, the call to return, even for 
a short period, to renew fond recollections, becomes irresist- 
able. 

Especially is this true with a western born boy, whose 
earliest recollections are of a social condition that was crude, 
and of a people, though not of the caste of Vere de Vere, were 
honest, chivalrous and generous to a fault. To the boy whose 
lines were cast in the Puget Sound region in the late 50 's and 
early 60 's, the development of the country from a peopleless 
wilderness to populous towns and cities is to him almost in- 
credible, encompassed in so comparatively short a time. 

I was born in Olympia before the great Civil war was de- 
clared. The Capital City was then the metropolis, Steilacoom 
had an existence stimulated by an army post located where the 
asylum now is, and Seattle, the present giant of the Northwest, 
was a hamlet composed of a few people living upon their 
original pre-emption claims. 

Olympia 's means of communication in those days was by 
a stage line to the South, coaches leaving every other morn- 
ing and returning every second day, providing the axles were 
strong enough to withstand the awful roads. To the north, 
on the Sound, the Eliza Anderson, a side-wheeler, with a 
walking beam, plied, leaving the head of the Sound Sunday 
night at 12 o'clock and returning some time during the latter 
part of the same week. It cost one $15 to make the trip 
one way to Victoria, berths and meals extra. Each trip the 
old steamer would go out loaded with passengers and freight, 
many cattle being driven in and shipped this way, which made 
the route a very profitable one, together with a mail contract, 
and during the many years of her service the old Anderson 
probably earned her weight in gold. When the Alaska gold 
discovery was made she was sent up to run on a northern 
route and was wrecked. 




MR. AND MRS. G. C. BLANKENSHIP 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 283 

An incident of my early life occurred, beyond my recol- 
lection, but of which I was told by my parents. My father 
being Sheriff of Thurston County, he held in custody an In- 
dian named Yelm Jim, who was held for murder. In those 
days domestic help could not be had. Any woman arriving in 
the country could be married in fifteen minutes if she so chose, 
and it was generally noticeable that Barkis was willing. The 
housewife was thus dependent solely upon the squaws. To 
supply this deficiency in our own household, on especially 
hard days for my mother, my father would heavily iron Yelm 
Jim and bring him to the house as a playmate for me and thus 
relieve a tired housekeeper of the added care of a trouble- 
some child. To the day of my departure from home at the age 
of eighteen, Yelm Jim was my firm friend. 

Among the boys of those days still resident in the state 
were Harry McElroy, well and favorably known, still a resi- 
dent of Olympia ; the Percivals, Sam and John, well known in 
Thurston County; Sam Woodruff, Superintendent of the Home 
for Feeble Minded at Medical Lake; Sam Crawford, of the 
firm of Crawford & Convery of Seattle, a pioneer real estate 
firm ; Gilmore Parker, who was long a steamboat man on the 
Sound, and who recently died in Seattle ; James P. Ferry, son 
of Governor Ferry, now a resident of Seattle ; the McFaddens, 
Frank, James, Cal and Rob, sons of Judge 0. B. McFadden, 
all of whom are still living except James ; James Frazier, still 
a surveyor in Olympia ; the Garfieldes, William and Charles, 
the former dead and the latter living in Alaska; H. E. Allen, 
a young brother of Senator Jno. B. Allen, who was a promis- 
ing lawyer in Spokane, but whose poor health caused his retire- 
ment from the profession before his death ; Charles Evans, 
now employed in the city hall in Tacoma ; C. S. Reinhart, 
Clerk of the Supreme Court; Henry Murphy, son of Editor 
John M. Murphy, who long was in charge of the mechanical 
work on the Washington Standard, now dead ; Theodore 
Brown, who died a few years ago ; Clarence and Alvin Coulter ; 
the Moores, Schooley and Waldo, the latter of whom died a 
few years ago ; the Reeds, Thomas and Mark, sons of Thomas 
M. Reed, the former a resident of Alaska, a lawyer, and the 
latter managing a large logging interest in Mason County. 
All more or less my companions in the days of real sport. 



284 THURSTON COUNTY 

Our education was undertaken by several teachers, at 
different periods emploj'ed to teach the district school, held 
in a two-story building occuping the northwest corner of Sixth 
and Franklin. Among these educators were a Mr. Bo;^Titon, 
C. B. Mann, who long since deserted the profession to become 
a business man and a successful one ; L. P. Venen, Miss Gid- 
dings, later wife of Thomas M. Reed ; ]\Iiss Slocum, now the 
wafe of W. E. Boone, a retired architect of Seattle ; a jMr. 
Kaye, a better scholar than disciplinarian, who was succeeded 
by Freeman Brown, both scholar and disciplinarian, who took 
no pains to conceal an iron hand in a velvet glove, and when 
remonstrating with a refactory pupil was a cyclone in action. 

Then, too, some of us attended private schools. L. P. 
Venen long taught in the old Odd Fellows' building, on the 
east side of Washington street, between Fourth and Fifth. 
Miss Lord for a time taught a private school. She came to 
this country- with her mother in the old Continental, the ship 
chartered to bring a large number of women from New Eng- 
land, when they were a drug on the market, to the Territory 
of Washington, where they were in demand and were known 
as the Mercer g'irls, a man by the name of Mercer having con- 
ceived and executed the undertaking. Many estimable girls 
accompanied this expedition and were later married here. Miss 
]\Iary O'lSfeil, still a resident of Olympia, was a primary 
teacher, as was, also, Jacob Hoover, who was later a success- 
ful lawyer and banker in Spokane. 

There were no graded schools then and the now expen- 
sive luxury, the high school, was unknowai. All were con- 
tained in not to exceed two rooms, where the a b c's and 
Caesar's Commentaries or Virgil were pursued with more oi' 
less vigor. It was hot found necessary then to furnish play- 
grounds and gymnasiums, the former we boys found when- 
ever wanted and gymnastics were furnished by the parents 
on the woodpiles or ih gardening, where youthful exuberance 
of spirits was worked off in a way at once beneficial to tTie 
youngster and profitable to the ancestor who boarded him. 

Two of Olympia 's boys, brothers, who received the rudi- 
ments of their education here, and desirous of higher educa- 
tion, were graduates of the University of California, in a way 
very creditable to themselves, and worthy of being mentioned. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 285 

111 order to save their nijeans for school purposes, they walked 
part of the way to California, and each, on graduation, was 
valedictorian of his class, the younger brother one year later 
than the elder. These boys were Harry and John Whitworth, 
sons of Eev. Geo. F. Yv^hitworth. Harry Whitworth is now 
a civil engineer in Seattle, and John, who Avas a lawyer in 
San Francisco, died all too young. 

. The simple pleasures of those days were ample. The 
hunting grounds for the boys of that time are built up with 
residences now. The Des Chutes at Tumwater Falls was ex- 
cellent fishing grounds, and salmon, salmon trout, and torn 
and rock cod were plentiful in Budd's Inlet. There were no 
restrictions in those days and it was common for the expert 
shots to take stations on the IMarshville bridge (to the west- 
side) and Swantown bridge (to the eastside) and shoot the 
ducks on the wing when passing over in flocks. Then one 
could even dig clams whenever or wherever desired without 
being embarrassed with a trespass sign. 

The "public square," what is now Capital Park, Vv^as 
donated by Edmund Sylvester for park purposes, was a base- 
ball grounds. Upon the southeast corner, for many years, 
stood an old blockhouse which served as city bastile and 
county jail. This, as a place of retention, was exceedingly 
popular with the prisoners, as any one desirous of taking 
leave, tired of confinement, could easily do so without the aid 
of officer or habeas corpus, relying only on his own personal 
efforts. 

Swimming was indulged in promiscuously without the 
formalities of bath houses or bathing suits. Above the Swan- 
town bridge, back of the old Barnes residence, was well 
patronized, as was also a little wharf in the rear of the old 
Olympic hall, where the K. of P. hall and the Bolster & 
Barnes business block are now located. Ladies, desiring to 
cross the bridge for Marsh ville, were well aware of the in- 
formality prevalent among the boys, and accepted as estab- 
lished the fact that at any hour of the day and until early 
candle light in the Summertime, there was spread out for her 
gaze an exaggerated September Slorn scene which she could 
pretend to ignore and go her way, or she could take a boat 
and cross the bay lower down. The boys' prerogatives in 



286 THURSTON COUNTY 

this respect were never interfered with until later regulation 
forbade bathing in the city limits without a bathing suit. The 
tideflats were left as bare in those daj^s as now at low tides, 
and the impatient boy would strip and lie wallowing in the 
soft mud like a hog, until the tide came in and washed him 
off. At any time during the summer, one could make any 
young hopeful cringe by making a show to touch him iipon 
the back, so raw was the average youngster from exposure 
to the sun's rays. 

Baseball, during the early days and during the period 
of underhanded pitching, was a favorite amusement and 
Olj^mpia always had a good club, plenty good enough to hold 
the championship over the Victoria club, with which it played 
several games. Which suggests an amusing incident : At the 
time when the San Juan archipelago was still in dispute and 
Emperor William had been accepted by both sides to the con- 
troversy as umpire, but had not rendered his decision, there 
was a big game to be played between Victoria and Olympia. 
The Olympia boys were preparing for their trip to Victoria 
when there was posted upon a bulletin board on a Western 
Union telegraph blank, the following purported dispatch from 
Washington: "Emperor William has decided to let the re- 
sult of the coming baseball game between Olympia and Vic- 
toria dictate his decision of the international boundary ques- 
tion." Olympia won and Emperor William decided in favor 
of the United States, but it is not likely that he ever heard 
of the ball game. But there were those who took the above 
dispatch as authentic. 

The great event of every boy's life — his first circus — I 
recall vividly. The tent was pitched upon the ground now oc- 
cupied by the Kneeland Hotel, Harris' building and the 
Capital National Bank. It was known as Bartholomew's, and 
was a good one for the day. It was brought cross country, 
and arriving late, the preparations for the performance were 
hurried. As a result, the seats fell three times, causing in- 
jury to several. After the third trial Bartholomew appeared 
and notified the people that he would refund their money or 
he would erect the seats and make another trial at their 
pleasure. The true Western spirit became evident and the 
cry went up : " Set 'em up again, we 'II stay with you all 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 287 

night," and they did. The second circus visiting this section 
came by water from Portland, met Math heavy storms and lost 
much of its stock and its performance was much impaired 
from this fact. 

Looking backward, how insignificant incidents impress 
one. As the war had just closed and Indian war spirit had 
not entirely died out, juvenile military companies were a 
favorite diversion, which suggests an incident, showing the 
great political sagacity of Schooley Moo^fe, who should be a 
politician now instead of a timber cruiser. One evening, the 
youth of the town meeting to organize, Schooley Moore had 
candidates for Captain and First Lieutenant which he desired 
to elect. Accordingly he went to each member confidentially 
and whispered: "Vote this ticket — Smith for Captain, Treen 
for First Lieutenant, yourself for Second Lieutenant." The 
result was that Smith was elected Captain, Treen First Lieu- 
tenant and every other man in the company had a vote for 
Second Lieutenant. 

This isolated corner of the country was not frequently 
visited by the great men of the country, though I do remem- 
ber seeing Wm. H. Seward, the scar fresh upon his face, which 
the would-be assassin had placed there, when the great na- 
tional tragedy was enacted, after he had spoken in the old 
Tacoma Hall, where the K. of P. lodge room is now. And 
later I remember of an evening when the people of Olympia 
were to be addressed from wagons, which had been drawn 
up about the corner of Main and Third Streets, where the 
old Pacific Hotel then stood. Boy-like, I was to the fore and 
occupied a seat I found vacant in one of the wagons. I was 
somewhat astonished later when a gentleman near me arose 
and began to speak. I found out afterward that the man was 
Schuyler Colfax, afterwards Speaker of the House of Represent- 
atives, and still more recently Vice President, with President 
Grant. 

I recall the half-masting of the flags over public build- 
ings here when the news of Lincoln's assassination was re- 
ceived, but was hardly able to appreciate the full import of 
the deed, or to fully sympathize with the deep feeling enter- 
tained by our patriotic citizens. I recollect that the old Pres- 
byterian Church was effectively decorated for the Sunday fol- 



288 THURSTON COUNTY 

lowing the assassination in the national colors and black. Con- 
siderable feeling was aroused in the church by this act of the 
pastor. 

At the age of fourteen I entered upon a political career, 
brief and unsuccessful. The federal government allowed the 
Territorial Legislature, for the first time, to employ a pag'e. 
]\Iy grandfather was a member of the House, which gave me 
a "pull," and I became an active candidate for the place. 
The caucus was held before the Walla Walla delegation ar- 
rived, and I was successful. Ilillory Butler, then well ad- 
vanced in years, afterward a King County capitalist, who 
owned the Butler Hotel, was caucus choice for Sergeant-at- 
arms, and all w^ent merrily on until the arrival of the Walla 
Walla delegation, who announced they had a candidate for 
Sergeant-at-arms Avho must be landed. They were too strong 
to be denied. This caused the displacement of JNIr. Butler, 
and, as his Seattle property had not become as valuable as 
it did later, he was of necessity in line for a place. Under 
these circumstances I was removed and ]\Ir. Butler given the 
pageship, which he had good reason to regret later, for 
Francis Henry, who was a member of the House from Thurs- 
ton County, cartooned him most unmercifully in his juvenile 
occupation, which quite hurt the feelings of the dignified. 
Hillory Butler, who was a Southerner of the old school. 

Of the boys Avho figured as my youthful companions Sara 
Woodruff stands out as a bright particular star. Gifted in 
many ways Sam was always q, stellar attraction in all Euter- 
pian and Thespian events by local talent. Sam and I were 
bunkies for years and during this time conceived the idea of 
becoming cranberry merchants, gathering our product from 
the vicinity of Black Lake. Accordingly, one bright morn- 
ing, we started out for the lake with our utensils packed upon 
the back of a buckskin cayuse. We were not experts in mak- 
ing the diamond hitch, so familiar to the woodsman, but the 
horse was covered after a fashion, with blankets, frying pans, 
cups, etc. For convenience Sam had tied the halter, by which 
he w^as leading the horse, to his belt. Beyond Tumwater a 
hornet came in violent contact with our pack animal, who 
started to run, and as Sam was securely attached, he ran, too. 
Whereupon the loosely packed kitchen utensils, commenced to 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 289 

rattle, and then it may be fairly stated that that cayuse be- 
came frantic. There was a split in the atmosphere and that 
animal was gone. With a very taut halter, Sam went along — 
not that he wanted to, but more because the impulse was ir- 
resistible. As my partner was aware his life depended upon 
his keeping on his feet, he did so, but in so doing it is no ex- 
aggeration to state that in following his leader he touched 
only the very high places. Following along, picking up the 
scattered cooking utensils as they dropped from the fright- 
ened animal, I would see the firm impact of Sam's heel in the 
sand here and there, about twenty-five feet apart, till the ex- 
hausted animal stopped of his own accord and saved my part- 
ner's life, for it is sure that if Sam had gone down he would 
have been dragged to death, and the State of Washington 
would have lost the best institution man that it has had. 

The girls of our time — at least some of them — have more 
or less distinguished themselves. 

Among these I recall Annie Pixley, who became a fam- 
ous actress. Her father, in the early days, barn-stormed the 
country, using Annie and her sister Minnie as stellar attrac- 
tions. Their specialties were song and dances and very good 
they were. In off professional seasons Pixley ran a sort of a 
merry-go-round. I recall being struck and knocked out by 
one of the imitation horses. When brought around I found 
my head pillowed in the pretty Annie's lap. In later years, 
when I saw her as the buxom Gretchen, playing to Joseph 
Jefferson's "Rip Van Winkle," I felt not at all disinclined to 
be kicked by a mule, in order to be resuscitated by so fair 
a means. 

May Tilley, daughter of Rice Tilley, a well-to-do livery 
man, who long ran a business in the old barn removed to make 
room for the new city hall, became the Countess Starva, and 
as such attracted considerable attention with her beauty. She 
died a few years ago, leaving a considerable fortune to her 
brothers, Frank and Guy, Olympia boys. 

There lived down the bay, on the east side, many years 
ago, a truck gardener, who came to town frequently with the 
products of his garden, and, after disposing of them would 
return home, frequently "stewed." He had a squaw wife. 
Our little village was somewhat exercised when we learned 



290 THURSTON COUNTY 

that in a circus about to come to the town there was a lady 
bareback rider. Linda Jeal, and that she was the daughter of 
"our old Jeal." It was a proud day for the old man when 
he came to town, accompanied by his squaw wife in brig-ht 
array. The talented daughter, be it said to her credit, gave 
the old man a gracious reception. 

At the same time there was on our theatrical circuit a 
monologue artist, singer and dancer, named Charles Vivian. 
He was an exceptionally handsome Englishman, talented and 
well educated. He was the father of the Elks. Vivian was 
a great favorite on the Sound. After the show, when he had 
taken himself to a saloon for refreshment, he was especially 
entertaining. I remember him telling with great glee how Jeal 
had tried to persuade him to marry the fair Linda, graphi- 
cally portraying how profitable could be made the combined 
talents of the couple. 

AVoven into the woof of the life of Lucky Baldwin were 
the lives of two Olympia-born girls — one shot him, the other 
married him. After Baldwin had acquired his immense for- 
tune, he met Verona Baldwin, daughter of A. J. Baldwin, a 
pioneer of Thurston County. He persuaded her to go to his 
ranch in Southern California, there to teach school. For some 
injury — fancied or real — that Verona experienced there, she 
shot Lucky on the stairway of his own hotel, the Baldwin, in 
San Francisco. In 1857-8 there was here a man named A. A. 
Bennett, who, for a short time engaged in contracting and 
building. While here a daughter was born to Mrs. Bennett, 
after which they moved to San Francisco, where Mr. Bennett 
opened an office as an architect. Lucky Baldwin secured hi^ 
services for some work on his Southern California ranch. The 
architect took his very pretty daughter, Lily, with him for 
a trip. Thus it was that during the time Mr. Bennett was 
engaged in his professional services, the fair Lily, a young 
woman of hardly thirty, met Lucky Baldwin, aged sixty or 
over, with a reputation that would shame any one, and they 
were married. Notwithstanding the fact that Baldwin was 
over sixty when married, he lived for many years thereafter, 
and when he committed the only commendable act of his life 
by dying, Lily Baldwin shared in his estate to the extent of 
$800,000, so the newspapers said. But she had earned it. 



PIONEER REMINISCBNCEO 291 



A RELUCTANT BRIDEGROOM 



At one time there appeared in Olympia a man calling him- 
self Charles Henry DeWolf, claiming to be a physician, who 
delivered a course of lectures on phrenology, free love and 
kindred subjects. During his career in Olympia, Charles Henry 
contracted what he called a conjugal alliance and matrimonial 
copartnership, which was announced as follows : 

"Married — At the house of the bride's parents. Dr. C. II. 
DeWolf of Philadelphia, Pa., to Eliza A. Hurd, of Olympia, in 
the following manner: 'We, the undersigned, hereby announce 
to the world that we have contracted a conjugal alliance and 
entered into a matrimonial copartnership, believing in the di- 
vine right of souls to dictate their own forms and the inspira- 
tion of Mother Nature and Father God as being above custom 
and priestly ceremony, however long dignified by legal enact- 
ment and Christian dictation. This act we perform, taking up- 
on ourselves the responsibility in the presence of these wit- 
nesses, whose names accompany our own on this public declara- 
tion Made this 13th day of May, 1862. 

Eliza Ann Hurd. 
Witnesses : Charles Henry DeWolf. 

H. R. Woodard. 

Salome Woodard. 

B. F. Brown. 

Mary Brown." 

On Sunday night Charles Henry and his new partner, went 
to the home of the bride's parents, intending to take the early 
morning boat down Sound. The deputy sheriff went aboard the 
boat and intercepted the party. 

On the wharf at Olympia had been erected a temporary 
observatory, a field glass, mounted on a tripod, and many were 
the scientific observers. 

About 11 o'clock the same day, DeWolf was arraigned be- 
fore Justice Bigelow, plead not guilty to a charge of violating 
the matrimonial law. Elwood Evans appeared for the Terri- 
tory and defendant for himself. 



292 THURSTON COUNTY 

Charles Henry DeWolf, M. D., F. F. L. S., and a minister 
of the gospel, had a right to marry himself, he declared, and 
then let loose a Pandora's box, this ingenious, self-possessed 
unscrupulous dog. The peacock, whose little heart is one beat- 
ing pulse of vanity, was not more vain. He assumed to de- 
sire martyrdom at the hands of "sneaking, lying, peddling, 
begging clerical sons of Ahab ; the drunken Justices and be- 
sotted Judges and their black-hearted and villainous sup- 
porters." 

Judge Bigelow bound the defendants over in the sum of 
$1000 to appear before the district court, and the bride's father 
furnished the bail and released the gay Don Juan and his 
victim. 

Tuesday Charles Henry was apprehended on a charge of 
open and notorious fornication and sent to jail. On trial he 
repeated his former wild talk. He would never be married 
by a lawful party. It was degrading to his manhood to think 
of it. He would bow to no "fawning, hypocritical, thieving 
priest ; no drunken, mercenary justice or corrupt judge for 
the senseless words: 'I pronounce you man and wife.' Olym- 
pians were incapable of appreciating his high motives. Future 
generations would recognize his martyrdom." 

Judge McGill said he would ask a few questions which 
would materially bear upon his decision. 

"Do you." he said, "consent to take this woman as your 
wedded Mdfe?" 

"I do." 

"And do you," to the woman, "consent to take this man 
as your lawful husband?" 

"Yes." 

"Then," said the Justice, cooly. "by virtue of the power 
vested in me, in the presence of these witnesses, pronounce you 
man and wife." 

If you ever saw a hailstorm, thunder and lightning both 
included ; if you ever saw the briny ocean, with the waves in 
high commotion, rise like unto snow-capped mountains, that 
was Chas. Henry. 

"You can't come that dodge on me," the reluctant bride- 
groom shouted, but cooled down when threatened with fine 
for contempt. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 293 

The Justice dismissed the charges against DeWolf, who 
paid the costs. Charles Henry was married by a Justice and 
his free love career brought to an end. The current news- 
paper has this notice. 

''Married — By Henry McGill, in the Justice Court, Wed- 
nesday, May 21, 1862, Charles Henry DeWolf and Mrs. Eliza 
Hurd." 

"Be virtuous and you will be happy." Thus did the 
worthy pioneers resent the intrusion of an unscruplous char- 
latan upon an worthy family and saved from dishonor an 
illusionized but virtuous woman. 



Although the Eastern people regarded the extreme west as 
wild and woolly, and do so still to a less extent, yet the fact 
remains that the standard of civilization has always been held 
high. The country from the first was peopled by an educated 
and refined, but hardy people, who, with the courage of their 
convictions, held morality in great esteem, especially as applied 
to the integrity of the home, and enforced its recognition with 
rigid firmness. 

I recall a man living in the primitive Olympia, who had 
a large family and was brutal in his treatment of both wife 
and children. The ladies of the town held a mass meeting and 
addressed a letter to the brute, notifying him to mend his ways 
or be treated to a coat of tar and feathers, preparatory to being 
conducted to the city limits. The man took the delicate hint 
and left town soon after. There are old ladies living in Olym- 
pia today who signed that letter. 



294 THURSTON COUNTY 



GEORGE D. SHANNON 



Among the men most prominently identified with the 
financial development of Olympia was George D. Shannon, 
who was one of the leading spirits in the organization of tha 
Olympia Light & Powder Company. ^Ir. Shannon sank a very 
comfortable fortune in this enterprise, which, although dis- 
astrous in the eventual outcome to the original promoters, was 
one of the most important steps ever taken in Olympia 's de- 
velopment. 

In the year 1870 Mr. Shannon was appointed superintend- 
ent of construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad, when 
that line was being built between Kalama and Tacoma, and 
at that time came to Olympia to make his home. After spend- 
ing a few years in the city, he became the owner of the 
magnificent farm of 11,000 acres on the Nesqually bottom. Here 
he lived for about twenty years lavishly entertaining the fore- 
most men of the State, and being generally regarded as a prince 
of good fellows, highly respected and liked for his sterling 
qualities. 

In the late 'SOs Mr. Shannon, with others organized the 
Olympia Light & Power Co., and was also one of the original 
incorporators of the First National Bank of Olympia, of which 
institution he was a trustee at the time of his death. 

Soon after Mr. Shannon's arrival in Olympia he became 
the warm personal friend of Governor E. P. Ferry, and through 
that executive was appointed a member of the State Building 
Committee and was acting on the Board of Trustees of the 
Western Washington Hospital for Insane at tho time the main 
hospital building was erected. 

While on a visit to the World's Exposition of 1876, ]\Ir. 
Shannon was married to Miss Mary A. Kennedy, of Cleveland, 
Ohio, and brought his bride to the West with him upon his 
return. 

George D. Shannon was a native of New York, and was 
born in the year 1832. At the early age of 16 the young num 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 



295 



started in a railroad career, working his way up until in 1858 
he was appointed superintendent of construction of the Winona 
& St. Peters Railroad, on the completion of which Mr. Shannon 
was made conductor on the first passenger train ever run 
west of the Mississippi in Minnesota. He followed railroad- 
ing in that state until 1863, and subsequently engaged in rail- 
road contracting in New York, Indiana and Wisconsin. 

Mr. Shannon was a 32d Degree Mason and upon the occa- 
sion of his death in 1895 the Masonic Fraternity from all over 
the State gathered in Olympia to honor their brother. The 
funeral services were in charge of this brotherhood and the 
interment was in Masonic Cemetery. 

]\Irs. Shannon made her home in Olympia after the death 
of her husband until 1905 when she, too, answered the last 
summons. 



296 THURSTON COUNTY 



P. M. TROY'S REMINISCENCES OF THE OLYMPIA 
COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE 



Among the foremost of the educational institutions of the 
earlier Territorial days was the Olympia Collegiate Institute, 
and the associations and remembrances of that school are still 
treasured in the minds of many of the foremost men and 
women of the now flourishing State of Washington. 

Desiring a sketch of this once famous place of learning, 
the compiler requested Mr. P. M. Troy to contribute a chapter 
of his reminiscences as an attendant at the 0. C. I., which 
request that gentleman very kindly complied with. 

Reminiscences of O. C. I. at the Time When I Knew It. 

I came to the school in the Autumn of 1888. L. E. Fol- 
lenbee was then principal. L. P. Venen was the instructor in 
Greek, Latin and the higher mathematics. A Professor W. H, 
Lewis was in charge of the primary department. John L. 
Henderson was principal of the commercial department. There 
was also a music teacher, whose name I now forget. There 
were between two and three hundred students. It was then 
the first school in the Territory. There was a normal course, 
and a commercial course. I attended this school from the Fall 
of 1888 to the Summer of 1890, when I was graduated from' 
the normal department. 

Among those who were in attendance when I was there 
were Mr. W. C. Hazzard, now living in Wisconsin, and for- 
merly Superintendent of the Olympia schools; A. C. St. John, 
now a prominent merchant of Chehalis ; Joel E. Stearns, now 
a county official at Chehalis; Harris AVard, now a minister in 
the M. E. Church; C. B. Seeley, also a minister in the M. E. 
Church; C. V. Leach, subsequently County Clerk of Thurston 
County, and now an official in the postoffice at Olympia, 
Washington; A. L. Callow, subsequently County Clerk and 
County Auditor of Thurston, now a merchant at Elma ; Miss 
Nellie Trewick, who subsequently became Mrs. Geo. H. Gilpen. 
now residing in Portland, Oregon ; Miss Emma Campbell, who 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 297 

subsequently became Mrs. M. B. Christopher, of Bellingham ; 
Miss Olive Parker, now IMrs. Olive Woods, of Waitsburg, 
Wash. ; Miss Laura Marr, now Mrs. A. C. St. John of Chehalis ; 
Miss Mary Chilberg, who subsequently became Mrs. A. L. 
Callow; Miss Eva Sturdevant, who subsequently became Mrs. 
P. M. Troy; Miss Jessie Barr, who subsequently became Mrs. 
Geo. S. Hopkins, and George S. Hopkins, now a prominent 
coal operator at Roslyn, Washington ; W. W. Hopkins, since 
prominent in Thurston County politics; D. S. Troy, who is now 
State Senator from Chimacum ; Arthur E. Cornelius, a farmer 
at La Conner and many others whom I cannot now think of. 

The school reached its high tide during the summer of 
1890. There was a change in the management in the autumn 
of 1890 and the school flourished during the next year, 1891, 
but with the oncoming of hard times it went under. Then, 
when the State of Washington was admitted, there was a cor- 
responding rise of the State University, and a corresponding 
decline of private institutions. 

The Olympia Collegiate Institute was a flourishing school 
in Olympia, Washington, for many years, and as I said before, 
for a number of years was the leading educational institution 
of the Territory of Washington. 

L. E. Follansbee was followed as President of the school 
by Rev. M. A. Covington, in the autumn of 1890, and a com- 
plete new teaching force took charge of affairs that autumn. 
C. V. Leach took Prof. Lewis' place in the fall of 1889, in the 
primary department. 



2S8 THURSTON COUNTY 



BUILDING A PIONEER MEETIN' HOUSE 



The story of how the Eev. J. F. DeVore built the first 
Methodist Church on Puget Sound is a well known one to 
the Thurston County pioneers. Rev. DeVore went to Capt. 
Crosby, owner of the first saw mill on the Sound, and asked 
the doughty captain how much lumber he was willing to con- 
tribute towards the erection of a new church in Olympia. "As 
much as you Avill raft in one day into the waters of the Des 
Chutes Eiver with your own hands," replied the captain, with 
a sarcastic smile, regarding with no great degree of favor the 
scholarly-looking man before him. "Very well, I thank you 
in behalf of the church,and will be on hand in the morning," 
said the preacher. 

How well this servant of God performed his part of the 
contract is told in verse by a native daughter of Thurston 
County, Lilla Spirlock, as related to her while she was a child, 
by "Squire Plum," one of the old landmarks of the early 
civilization of this county — long since gone to his reward. The 
building erected with the rafted timber is now Epworth Hall, 
situated on Fifth street, south of the original location on Fourth 
street, where it was removed many years ago to the site of the 
new M. E. Church and when that was built, to the rear part of 
the lot where it now stands. It was built in the earlj^ 50 's, 
and nearly all the lumber used in construction was rafted by 
the interpid clergyman from the Tumwater mill — the first saw 
mill on Puget Sound — owned by Capt. Crosby. 

When the West was all new and the frontier lifs 

Bristled with dangers for children and wife. 

When obstacles met within those early days, 

Were oft hard to overcome by primitive ways; 

When I was a child on Squire Plum's knee, 

He would tell stories of the wild woods to me, 

The ruggedest kinds of wild frontier tales, 

'Bout Indian scouting with savage detail. 

And when I was good — didn't bother his curls — 

As good as could be, like his own little girls, 

He'd sing me songs, then tell other things • 

And memory and heart around them still clings. 

Now the one I relate, I remember so well, 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 299 

And hear the quaint laugh when he chanced it to tell, 

How "Preacher DeVore," as he called him then. 

Tackled Cap Crosby while saving souls of men. 

For he needed a meeting house so very bad 

And lack of which made the old preacher sad 

For the zealous old man with his Godlike grace, 

With strength for a prayer or a danger to face. 

Found skeptical brethren among his flock 

Who hesitated long the purse to unlock, 

But strong in the faith that the good Lord willed, 

He tirmly determined that church to build. 

Now there lived within that little town 

Where the river flows and o'er falls leaps down, 

An old sea captain, who'd forsook the brine. 

And had built a mill where the falls incline. 

He, jolly old soul, liked a sailor's yarn. 

Oft breathed words like unsanctified "consarn," 

But then, when the minister came one day. 

With the meeting house project to display. 

Asked how much he meant to give to the Lord, 

It's rumored the old Captain almost "swored" 

Declaring all preachers were drones in the swarm 

And labored with tongue and not with arm. 

But the preacher knew the captain's rough way. 

That patience was needed when the Lord was to pay, 

So at last old cap had promised most fair, 

He'd willingly give to the Lord his share 

All the lumber he'd carry away 

And set afloat at the head of the bay 

From dawn to eve of a long summer's day. 

The dominie, with a glint in the eye. 

Said t'was a sin to let such a chance pass by. ■ 

Now the mill's "furder," said old Squire Plum, 

As he patted his curls with his finger and thumb, 

Than two hundred yards from the water's edge, 

And lumber as heavy as an old iron sledge 

For 'twas green and filled with water and pitch. 

And might baffle to "tote" the vv'its of a witch. 

But the dominie murmured a "Thank you, sir," 

And grimly strode to where neighbors were, 

And the^e he supped and stayed all night, 

''Arising," Squire says, "with the first dawn of light," 

And prayed to the Lord for strength for his work, 

(Tho' he had no need and was not a shirk 

When duty hath called for a man to go 

In marriage, death, or through rain or snow) 

So he hoisted the sills on his shoulder broad. 

Likewise framed timbers that the captain had sawed. 

And down to the water he carried them all 

And tied them secure from tide's rise and fall. 

And all day long with his faith all afire, 

Backward and forward o'er the deep mire. 



300 THURSTON COUNTY 

He carried each piece that built that place 

Where his flock might listen to words of grace. 

E'en refusing the captain's bid to dine 

Least the work might lag while the sun did shine, 

Eating his bite of a sandwich or two, 

And still toted lumber the whole day through, 

While the captain heaved a mournful sigh, 

And repressed an oath, while he smiled quite sly. 

Then he said, in respect to the man of the cloth, 

"The Lord in him has none of the sloth," 

And when night fell over that little town, 

This minister pulled his shirt sleeves down 

O'er the hairy arms of his strength and brawn. 

Then thanked the Lord and rested till dawn. 

He had gathered all lumber for the best church in the West 

And for that act of devotion he always was blest. 

The writer of this poem, Lilla Spirh^ck, was the daughter 
of one of Thurston County's pioneer families, who for many 
.years made their home at Plum Station. The mother, ]\Irs. 
Cordelia Spirlock, came to Washington when but a child of 
twelve years, in company with Mr. and Mrs. E. B. Plum, after 
whom that section of the county was uahied, and the " Squire- 
Plum" mentioned in the poem. 



MRS. JOHN G. SPARKS 



Mrs. John G. Sparks — Grandma Sparks, as she is affec- 
tionately called by her intimates — was born and christened 
Margaret Isabella Scott, in the year of 1820. She was a na- 
tive of South Carolina, but removed with her family to 
Georgia when she was but five years of age and later lived 
in Arkansas. In 1841 she was married to William A. Brewer 
of that state. From this union ten children were born, six 
of Avhom are still living: Mrs. Martha A. Crowe, of Walla 
Walla; John F. Brewer, of Eugene, Oregon; Mrs. Ed. Harris 
of Boisfort, Washington ; Mrs. A. C. Sherwood, of Satsop ; 
James H. Brewer, of Tacoma, and ]\Irs. C. B. Mann, of 
Olympia. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 301 

Mrs. Mann, in speaking of her mother's life, said: "The 
further West spirit was in the blood of father and mother 
when they were young and full of energy, and breathed ever 
stronger and stronger from the air of the early 50 's. So on 
March 16, 1853, this heroic pair, with their small children, 
started by wagon over the Old Oregon Trail to the far-off 
North Pacific coast. 

"When we talk of hardships in our lives we ought to 
blush with shame when .we compare our trials with the dan- 
gers and difficulties encountered by this young couple. Eight 
long, weary months on the way from their old home were 
they until they finally reached Eugene, Oregon, in Novem- 
ber. Once they never tasted bread for five weeks ; once, 
when they were travelling through a narrow valley, five hun- 
dred Indians seemed to rise from the ground and, surrounding 
the frightened emigrants, demanded all their food. The red- 
skins enforced their demands by stampeding all the emigrants' 
cattle and shooting a buffalo calf. It was only after a pow- 
wow lasting nearly all day that the Indians were shown that 
the party would all starve if robbed of their supplies that a 
final agreement was reached that the emigrants would give 
the robbers one-half of all their food and provisions if they 
would not further molest them. Every article of food which 
the emigrants were carrying with them to sustain life in the 
new countr}^ — flour, bacon, dried fruit, corn meal — everything, 
was impartially divided before the Indians would allow the. 
r^arty to proceed on their way. 

"On the trip a son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Brewer. 
']\Iy husband was kind,' said mother, 'and wished to lay by 
for a few days, but I said, 'no, just put a feather bed in the 
bottom of the wagon and drive on. He did so and all was 
well with me.' " 

In 1858 Mr. Brewer died, leaving the wife with a 
large family of small children dependent upon her. In 
1860 the family moved to Grand Mound, Thurston County, 
thus giving the mother and children the right to be numbered 
among the pioneers of this county. 

Mrs. Brewer was afterwards married to Henry L. Pal- 
miter, who died in 1867. Later on she was married to John 



302 THURSTON COUNTY 

G. Sparks of Olympia, where she afterwards resided until 
the time of her death in March, 1913. 

At the time of her death it was said by one who loved 
"Grandma Sparks": "In laying away the body in which her 
heroic spirit had dwelt for over ninety-two years we parted 
'vith one who was strong, cheery, courageous and religious. We 
shall miss her." 



EARLY NEWSPAPERS 



The Columbian was first printed in a small building im- 
mediately opposite where the Washington Standard wa'^ printed 
for so many years, by T, F. McElroy and J. W. Wiley. The 
name of the Columbian, in its second year, was changed to 
the Pioneer. A few years later R. A. Doyle bought the ma- 
terial for another newspaper, but it was merged into the 
Pioneer, which afterward appeared as the Pioneer and Demo- 
crat. This journal continued publication until 1861. The 
material afterward passed into the hands successively of A. j\I. 
Poe, Poe & Watson, Wilson & Head, B. F. Kendall, Abbott 
& Co., and was used by all these firms in the publication of 
the Overland Press, a semi-weekl}' paper, the first number of 
vhieh appeared in 1862. The name was changed to Pacific 
Tribune in 1861 and its publication continued by R. H. Hewitt, 
siceceded by Chas. Proseh. The Washington Standard com- 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 303 

menced publication November 17, 1860, before the demise of 
the Pioneer and Democrat. 

The newspaper men of the earl,y days were as a rule men 
of exceptional ability, some of them practical printers, who 
saved the time of making copy by standing at the case, stick 
in hand, and composing able articles on state affairs, economics, 
and devoting much space to current politics. 

As a sample of scathing denunciation indulged in in those 
days we cite the following: 

A correspondent signing his name as Scorpion attacked 
Governor Stevens, and the Pioneer and Democrat replies as 
follows : 

"Scorpion — the name means a vile snake — a reptile — a 
venemous serpent, with poison on its tongue, vengeance in its 
heart, and ready to deal death to all who may come in contact 
with it. It moves noiselessly along the path of the unsuspecting 
passerby hissing, bites and retreats, leaving a loathsome, slimy 
trail. * * * And now let us contrast the conduct of our 
valiant citizen soldiery with his snakeship Scorpion — heaping 
its vile abuse upon an absent soldier. We mean Governor 
I. I. Stevens. Can the white-livered, cowardly, crawling reptile 
Scorpion look such a man in the face and utter one word of 
disparagement against him. No ! No ! ! He would rather 
seek employment at one cent per day to dig for himself a 
eow^ard's grave, beneath the bosom of the earth! And such 
a Scorpion's grave should be in some dark, gloomy and se- 
cluded spot, where the sun's glorious rays, that greens the 
grass, can never reach his resting place. Let him rest in igno- 
minious solitude, and depart 

" 'To the low, vile dust from Avhich he sprung, 
Unwept, unhonored and unsung.' 

"To Scorpion and the troop of assailants of the Executive 
and Territorial Administration we would say : 

" 'Avaunt and quit my sight! 
Let the earth hide thee ! Thy bones are marrowless ! 
Thy blood is cold ! 
Hence ! Horrible shadow ! 
Let justice be done though the Heavens fall!' " 



304 THURSTON COUNTY 

The same paper referring t3 James Buelianaii, Demo- 
cratic candidate for President, says, ''he is riding on the top- 
most wave of Eternal Democracy, which is ever rising higher 
and higher and like the tide of 

" 'The Propontic Sea 
Knows no retiring ebb." ' 

J. Newton Gale, a pioneer editor, thus described his 
method of securing inspiration for his editorials : 

"By reflecting, sitting alone in our room with our eyes 
closed and our mind's eye soaring away into the eternal realms 
of thought, and gathering knowledge from the falling spray 
of the fountain of eternal realities, while scintillations from 
the great central sun of intellectual light awaken latent powers 
of the mind into active existencies." 

In the year 1867 Frank Clark, on the Democratic ticket, 
ran against Alvin Flanders, on the Republican ticket. Flanders 
was not a speaker, while Clark was quite a fluent talker. To 
even up in the campaign the Republicans put Selucius Gar- 
fielde, a brilliant orator, on the stump, and he accompanied 
Flanders throughout a hard fought campaign. This situation 
gave rise to the following poem, printed in the Washington 
Standard : 

Alvin Flanders rode upon 

A horse that wouldn't mind him, 

And so to act as fugleman, 
Selucius rode behind him. 

Selucius was a proper man 

And had so good a straddle. 
That he could ride two horse-;, with 

One office for a saddle. 

His classic seat was full of grip. 

His brain was scientific. 
And large enough to hold a train 

Of cars for the Pacific. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 305 

His mouth o'erflowed with oily words, 

In fact, 'twas even hinted 
That he coiiid make an off hand speech 

Just like a book that's printed. 

And thus they rode from place to place, 

Wher'er their pony bore them; 
"When Flanders had to speak a piece, 

Selucius spoke it for him. 

'Tis mostly thus with those who shriek 

Of Congress orthodoxy. 
When called upon to fight or speak, 

They do it best by proxy. 

Some of the early editors were nothing if not grandiloquent 
and elaborate, given much to poetic quotation. The simple 
announcement of a dance for Fourth of July. 1854, is made 
in the following language : 

"Active preparations are on foot by the votaries of Terpsi- 
chore to celebrate the evening of the Fourth at the new and 
spacious hall in process of erection bj' Mr. L. Ensign, which 
will be in readiness for the occasion. Room for the million 
can be obtained at the low price of $5 per couple, for which 
more than value received cannot fail to be derived by an in- 
dulgence in the nice things which will be provided for the 
occasion. 

" 'On with the dance, let joy be unconfined; 
No sleep till morn when youth and pleasure meet, 
To chase the glowing hours with flying feet.' " 

But the above excerpts are not intended to lead the reader 
into the erroneous idea that these journalists devoted their 
talents solely to fierce denunciation or frivolous generalities 
Frequently when occasion demanded these men wrote editorials 
that would command notice in any publication, ranging from 
the ridiculous to the pathetic, running the gamut from bitter 
personal and political attack to the finer expressions of brother- 



306 THURSTON COUNTY 

iy love and good will, always uniting in eloquent tribute to 
the fellow pioneers, as they, one by one, quit the scene of 
their activities. Then, too, they were a unit in their efforts 
for the upbuilding of the Territory and developing its latent 
resources. 

These early editors, of whatever party or creed, were 
powerful factors in the advancement of this then unknown 
section of the United States, and were poorly rewarded peeuni- 
arilv for their efforts. 



THOMAS MILBURNE REED 



Thomas M. Eeed, who at the time of his death in 1905. 
was the oldest Grand Secretary of ]\rasons in length of ser- 
vice in the entire world, and was honored by that noble frater- 
nity as no other man in Washington. When death came to 
Mr. Reed in the 80th year of his age he had survived all but 
one or two of the brethren who were associated with him when 
the Washington Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted IMasons 
w^as organized in 1859, and his funeral was attended by per- 
haps the most notable assemblage of Freemasons ever gathered 
together in Washington. The IMasonic funeral ceremony was 
conducted by the Honorable Louis Ziegler, of Spokane. Some 
fifteen or twenty years before Mr. Eeed's death a fraternal 
compact was made between three Past Grand Masters of 
Washington : Colonel Granvile 0. Haller, U. S. A., of Seattle ; 
Hon. Louis Ziegler, of Spokane, and Hon. Thomas IMilburne 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 307 

Reed, of Olympia, to the effect that one or other of the sur- 
vivors should conduct the Masonic ceremony at the burial of 
the departed. With the death of T. M. Reed, Louis Ziegler 
was the last remaining one of the three friends and the Ma- 
sons v/ho were gathered from all corners of Washington to at- 
tend the funeral will not soon forget the words of philosophy, 
love and eulogy so touchingly pronounced by the last sur- 
vivor of the compact. 

Thomas M. Reed was born at Sharpsburg, Bath County, 
Kentuckj', on December 8, 1852. He was of sturdy North Ire- 
land Presbyterian stock and until the day of his death pre- 
served unshaken the faith of his ancestors and never ceased 
to take an active part in the management of the Presbyterian 
congregation to which he belonged, although singularly free 
from trace of prejudice or bigotry. 

Thomas M. Reed's mother died when the lad was but 
twelve years of age and he went to live for a while with a 
brother of his deceased mother. At the age of fourteen we 
find him laboring on his uncle's farm for eight dollars a 
month and his board for nine months of the year. The winter 
months were devoted to school. Out of the $72 earned during 
the working months the young man clothed himself and paid 
for his winter's schooling. 

When Mr. Reed was about 18 years of age he was em- 
ployed to teach a country school, and after a summer's ex- 
perience at this work he secured a position in a country store, 
earning several promotions in the course of the five years 
following. 

The most important step the young man took upon reach- 
ing his majority was to join Holloway Lodge No. 153, F. & 
A. M., in his native Bath County. He received on July 7, 
1847, the Sublime Degree and became Secretary in his Lodge. 

When the news of the great gold strikes of 1848 in Cali- 
fornia found its way into the Blue Grass state, Reed decided to 
cut loose and strike for the Eldorado of the Pacific. He ar- 
rived in California on July 26, 1849, and engaged at once in 
the pursuit of the Golden Fleece and alternately filled posi- 
tions of Postmaster, County Treasurer, County Superviser and 
Justice of the Peace, which latter occupation was the incentive 
to his study of the profession of law. 



308 THURSTON COUNTY 

Resolving- to shift the scene of his activities to Puget 
Sound, Mr. Reed came to Olympia in 1857, and became the 
agent of the Wells, Fargo & Co.'s Express. Later he kept a 
store in the Capitol City. From 1872 to 1880 he devoted most 
of his time to the survey of public lands in Western Wash- 
ington. In the year of 1877, the counties of Thurston and 
Lewis elected him to the Territorial Council, which elected 
him their President. At the close of the session Mr. Reed 
was elected Territorial Auditor, which position he held until 
1888. 

In 1889 he was elected a member of the Convention to 
frame a Constitution for the new State of Washington and 
was then elected State Auditor, where he remained until 1893. 
this term closing his career as a public servant. 

From December 8, 1858, Mr. Reed's thirtj^'-third birthday, 
when he was installed as its first Grand Secretary, to the day 
of his death, nearly forty-seven years later, he loved and cher- 
ished the Grand Lodge of Washington with marvelous devo- 
tion and in all those years never missed a State Communica- 
tion except once when he was unavoidably detained in Idaho 
and the one which occurred in June, 1905, a few weeks prior 
to his death. His inability to attend the latter Communica- 
tion was the source of intense and pathetic disappointment 
to him. 

On the occasion of a visit to his old home in Kentucky, 
Mr. Reed was married to Elizabeth Hannah Finley and two 
sons were the result of this union — Thomas IMilburne Reed, 
jr., now of Nome, Alaska, and Senior Warden of Anvil Lodge. 
of that place, and Marcus Edward Reed, manager of the Simp- 
son Logging Company and a Past Master of Olympia Lodge 
No. 1. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Reed married 
Miss Eliza Carter Giddings, who became the mother of Emma 
Reed Ingham. By a third marriage to Hattie A. Fox, he had 
a son, Garnett Avery Reed. All of Mr. Reed's children are 
married, respected and prosperous. 

Thomas Milburne Reed died at his handsome home in 
Olympia on the 8th day of October, 1905, thus fulfilling a wish 
he had often expressed in life that his life might go out in glor- 
iously fine weather. The day of his death and the day on 
which his funeral was held were heavenly bright and peace- 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 309 

fill. In the words of his friend of many years, Hon. John 
Arthur, in a memorial service in memory of Thomas IMil 
burne Reed, voices the question of King David mourning over 
the death of Abner, "Know ye not that there is a prince and 
great man fallen this day in Israel?" in giving expression to 
his grief over the passing of Thomas IMilburne Reed into his 
reward. 



SOME TUMWATER REMINISCENCES 



Contributed by Ada Sprague Mowell. 

In 1869 Mr. and Mrs. Alfred D. Sprague with their 
seven children arrived in Olympia after a trip full of hard- 
ships — coming by wagon, by foot and again by wagon from 
Boise City, Idaho. 

Air. Sprague was the type of man that is always a pioneer, 
a descendant of those English pioneers to New England and 
who later joined what was called the great Ohio Exodus. 

After the marriage of Alfred Sprague to Whilmina Sager 
the young couple took up a constant quest for new places. 
They lived in five different states, each one a little farther 
west. 

Three children were born to them in Arkansas, two in 
Kansas, two in Colorado, one in Idaho and two in Washing- 
ton. Of these ten children three girls and three boys are 
now living. The oldest daughter. Belle (Mrs. David Dodd), 
was married and living in Idaho, and was never in Washington. 
She had five children. She died in 1888. Olive lives at Friday 
Harbor. Etta, now Mrs. Gelbach, lives at Spokane. Hattie, 
]\Irs. Underwood, lives in Mexico and California. Fred lives 
in Alaska. Roderick lives at White Bluffs, Wash. The latter 
is well known in Olympia on account of his editorial work 
on the morning Olympian. 

Two girls, Kate and Meda, died in their early 'teens, and 



310 THURSTON COUNTY 

Alice, IMrs. E. R. Rabbeson, a universal favorite, died in her 
young wifehood leaving- two children. Winfield and Randolph. 
The latter died in childhood and Winfield lives in Olympia. 

Ada, tlie seventh child and the youngest daughter, is the 
c::ly one of the children living in Olympia. She is the wife 
of Dr. J. W. Mov/ell, a Pennsylvanian who came to Washington 
in the '90 's. Mrs. Mowell lives within a block of the first 
house in which the Spragues lived in the state of Washington. 
The original house was much smaller, of course. It was known 
as the Hayden place to old timers. It is on Main Street be- 
tween Tenth and Union. Though not among the early pioneers, 
coming as they did in 1869, the Spragues knew all the pioneers 
and in complying vv^ith a request for her to contribute some 
of her reminiscences of early days in Tumwater, Mrs. JMowell 
relates the following: 

"As most of my journey to Washington was made in 
my mother's arms, it is not strange that I do not remember 
the exciting- incidents of the trip, though I listened with bated 
breath in later years to the hair-breadth escapes and thrilling 
iidventures. 

"We did not stay long in Olympia, as Tumwater was the 
first settlement and was much the most promising place then. 

"We lived for a time in the old Barnes place, and later 
moved t3 Rush Prairie, as being the only house obtainable 
nearer the homestead my father wished to take up. There 
at the Kuhn place, my brother, Frederick, was born, and here 
we lived until a small clearing was made on the hom^estead 
and a siibstantial log house was built. 

"Roderick was born on the old homestead. 

"While pioneer life was full of hardships for the elders 
it was full of joy for the youngsters. Looking back over our 
childhood, it seems like a long day of playtime. We had 
wonderful adventures in the woods about the place. We built 
houses of round sticks of several stories for our dolls, which 
often were sticks themselves, or at best 'rag dolls'. My first 
china doll was given me by a neighbor, Mrs. Ham, whose 
little girl had died. It was a precious possession, but never 
so dearly loved as my rag babies. 

"The first definite childhood remembrance I have is the 
death of my sister, Kate, in 1871. I remembered someone 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 311 

carrying me through the room, and a few years ago ]\Irs. 
Mills told me that it Avas she who lifted me up for a last 
look at my sister's face. 

"Though the real pioneer days were past w.lien we came 
to Thurston County, the pioneer spirit still throve, and a 
family in trouble as we were with sickness and other hardships 
incident to making a living in a new place, found sympathizing 
neighbors as far away as South Union. 

"My sisters, Kate and Meda, are remembered by many 
I)ioneers. Meda, who died four years later, had gone back 
to the home of our oldest sister, Belle, hoping the change might 
benefit her health. She failed to regain her health, however, 
by this change and we never saw her again. 

"Adjoining our farm was that of the Dittman's. Mrs. 
Dittman spoke nothing but German and my mother and she 
found much comfort in being able to talk in their mother 
tongue. Our next nearest neighbors v^ere the Helsers, and 
all old settlers remember the time-honored joke on the man in 
search of an introduction at a dance in Olympia when Mr. 
Helser was one of the floor committee. The gentleman asked 
for an introduction to a certain lady and was hurriedly told 
to 'Go to Helser'. A fight was only averted by an explanation. 

"Mr. Benj. Gordon's place on Bush Prairie was always 
a joy to me. I know every nick of the orchard, and Mr. 
Gordon alway treated me to big sticks of cinnamon bark. 

"Jesse Ferguson's farm was another place I loved to go. 
At threshing time my mother always helped the Ferguson 
girls cook for the threshers. Work was traded in these days 
and at log rolling time on our place the neighbors helped my 
mother. One of the sorrows of youth, that is still a regret, 
was a wonderful dinner I could not eat because of sickness, 
when there was a log rolling bee at our place. 

"My father's death in 1875 was a cruel blow to my mother 
and to us all. He was such a buoyant, hopeful disposition, 
that hardships and discouragement that would have crushed 
many men, only stimulated him to greater effort. But his 
physique was never strong, and the extremely hard work 
clearing a place and logging it, too, broke him down and he 
died in the prime of life. 

"On the shoulders of the older children descended the 



312 THURSTON COUNTY 

burden of the support of the family. My brother, Oliver, 
left school and went to work, and to him we owe more than 
we can ever repay. He was my mother's stay and comfort 
till her death in 1881 at the early age of 48. 

"'With my mother's German and my father's New England 
ancestry, it is small wonder that the every nerve was strained 
that the children should have as good an education as the 
times permitted. Consequently during all these years, with 
lew exceptions, we moved into Tumwater every winter for 
the term of school, usually six months, and out to 'the place' 
as we always called it, in the spring in time for the usual 
spring work on the farm. I think my father went back and 
forth during the day to go on with the dairy. 

"During these winter sojourns much TumAvater history 
was fixed in my mind and the names of many old families 
were household words. 

"When v,-e first came to Tumwater the Crosby, Biles, 
Ostrander and mauy others families were there. We lived one 
winter in the Brev\-er place, upstairs. This was later known 
as the Cameron place and was a familiar landmark for many 
years. Later we lived in a part of the down-stairs, and it 
was here my father died. Directly opposite the place lived 
the Dudley Barnes'. Linre Barnes, now of Seattie, and I. 
being near the same age became great friends. The Shattueks 
lived next door and beyond them the Seotts, across the street 
I think the Bakers lived, and also I think the Lees. Mrs. 
Lee taught in Tumwater. The S. K. Taylors also lived here — 
the Coopers further down, near the bay; the Cornels, Hugh. 
Joe and John ; the Cambys ; the Ira and Sam Wards. 

"The Crosbys had the historical mill and a large store. 
George Biles also had a large store and Mrs. Biles tells me 
Olympia people traded in Tumwater to a great extent. 

"Dr. Ostrander lived in Tumwater then, as did also the 
Eastman family. Mr. Rice, whose son, Elmore, afterwards 
achieved distinction as a violinist, was living there then. On 
the hill was the Barnes place — quite a pretentious place at 
that time. 

"The school house on the hill, near the site of the present 
building, was a small one-room affair and to this day I re- 
member my first appearance there. I was in deadl.v fear 
of the teacher, who taught with the rod ever in his hand. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 313 

Later school was held in the T. L. A. Hall, which is still stand- 
ing, a monument to the energy of the residents who organized 
the society and bnilt the hall. This Tumwater Literary 
Association was a flourishing society for many years. They 
gathered together quite a library, and had very ■ interesting 
sessions. In this hall dances were held for many years. 

"School was held in the lower floor and once when some 
of the older boys had planned to eject the teacher, during 
the scuffle which followed my sister, Etta, now Mrs. Gelbach 
of Spokane, put all we children out of the window and then 
clambered after us, whither most of the school followed. 
School in those days never lacked for excitement. Kate Ward 
(]\Irs. Knapp), Fannie and Florence Ostrander (]\Irs. Moore 
and Mrs. Crosby), Fannie Crosby (Mrs. Ostrander), and many 
others probably remember that day as vividly as I do. 

"Across the bay was an Indian village and whenever there 
were rumors of war we children used to terrify ourselves 
Avith imagining that these Indians would capture us. The 
old squaws with their baskets of olalies, or of oysters, clams 
or fish hanging over their backs suspended from a broad band 
across the forehead, were familiar sights to our youthful eyes. 
The site of this village has long been overgrown with small 
trees and underbrush. 

"Many names throng my memory as I think over those 
days which were spent in Tumwater, but as they are probably 
all mentioned in other reminiscences I will omit them, but if 
a complete list could be compiled of all who have lived in 
Tumwater, many well known names would be there. 

"One beautiful, solemn custom was followed in Tumwater 
mitil the early '80's. This was the tolling the age of one 
who had just taken leave of this life. The first stroke of 
the bell sent a hush of sympathy over the town, and the 
close, friendly life then made all well acquainted with all that 
Avas happening so the people knew who had gone to rest. 
Almost the last for whom the bell tolled was our mother. This 
custom in a small community seemed a beautiful one to me 
and as long as Grandfather Biles, as he was universally called, 
lived and was well enough to attend to outside matters, this 
custom and another was kept up. The other custom was the 
community Christmas tree held every Christmas Eve at the 
little church on the hill. This church, built first as a union 



314 THURSTON COUNTY 

church, was afterwards absorbed by the ]\Iethodist Church and 
as I think still of that denomination. ]Mr. Biles was for many 
years Superintendent of the Sunday School and the mainstay 
of the church, 

"With but two or three exceptions not even a descendant 
of any of those pioneers live now at Tumwater. 

"The old place, on which we lived only long enough for 
my mother to prove up after my father's death, has remained 
intact for thirty years, but not occupied. 

"Mr. Gelbach, while in a reminiscent mood during his 
long illness in 1914, told many interesting things of early 
days and ]\Irs. Gelbach has transcribed the foUo^ving, which 
v*nll interest many pioneers : 

"In April 1870 there embarked on the Steamer Ajax. 
clearing from San Francisco for Portland, Oregon, a group 
of men who became for many years identified with the for- 
tunes of Thurston County. 

"The first in importance was ]\Ir. Saloman, v\'ho bore an 
appointment from President U. S. Grant as Governor of the 
Territory of Washington ; second IMajor Hayden, who came 
as Internal Kevenue Collector. ; Mr. B. B. Tuttle, a deputy 
Eevenue Collector, and Mr. R. G. O'Brien, who served as 
Secretary to Major Hayden. 

"Among the non-officials were IMr. Phillip Hiltz, IMr. 
Stuth, bringing his bride from Germany, and Mr. George Gel- 
bach. IMr. Gelbach started West with the intention of settling 
in Portland, Oregon, but was persuaded by the Olympia party 
to continue his journey to Puget Sound. 

"Major Hayden, Mr. Tuttle and Mr. O'Brien were gifted 
with fine voices and formed a trio whose singing gave great 
pleasure to the passengers. 

"On arriving at Portland many honors were paid to the 
new Washington Governor, in which the whole Olympia party 
shared. Carriages drawn by four horses were provided for 
a trip to Hillsborough where Mr. Scott, father of the famous 
Oregonian editor, and no less famous suffragist, Abigail Scott 
Duniway, kept an inn. A boutiful old-time feast was spread 
for the guests. Several days were spent in Portland waiting 
for the arrival of the Steamer California to take the passengers 
over the bar and through the Straits to Puget Sound. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 315 

"Amongst the freight loaded in Portland was 1,000 bushels 
of wheat billed to Mr. Nelson Barnes for his mill at Tumwater. 
When approaching the bar on the outward voyage a storm 
threatened and the Captain ordered all passengers inside the 
cabins and everything was made fast for heavy seas. The 
order was obeyed by all except Mr. Gelbach, who preferred 
to take his chances outside. The decks were twice w^ashed 
by huge waves, but he clung to ropes for dear life and escaped 
being washed overboard. When quiet waters were reached 
the Captain was surprised to find him still aboard, a wetter 
and a Aviser man. 

"AVhen the little hamlet of Seattle was reached the steamer 
laj' by to enable the inhabitants to entertain their Governor, 
Chief on the program was a dance, which was greatly enjoj'ed 
by the steamer's passengers. 

"On the sixth day of May, 1870, when the California 
neared the head of Puget Sound, the little group of men stood 
on her deck eagerly gazing for a glimpse of their new home. 
Governor Saloman, Major Hayden and Mr. Hiltz had served 
in the Civil War, but as the close of that event was but five 
years in the past they were still young men. The remainder 
of the party were in their early twenties. When the steamer 
rounded Doffelmeyers Point, Olympia lay revealed under the 
morning sun, in all the greenery and bloom of INIay, a beau- 
tiful and welcome sight, and it was well that the young and 
hopeful companj^ could not read beneath this smiling welcome 
that Thurston County held no great fortune nor signal honor 
for any of its members. As they drew nearer Mr. Hiltz ex- 
claimed enthusiastically, 'That is the place,' and he remained 
true to the opinion, living in Olympia for the remainder of 
his life ; as did Mr. Stuth also, who probably of all the party 
came best equipped financially. He met business misfortune 
early in his Olympia career from which he never recovered. 
Governor Saloman made his home in Olympia till his successor 
was appointed and later died in San Francisco. Mr. Tuttle 
went to Portland, Oregon, where he died a few j'ears ago, 
]\Iajor Hayden, who was joined by his family, lived in Olympia 
for many years, removing later to Seattle where his death 
occurred. Mr. O'Brien occupied the office of Clerk of the 
Supreme Court for a number of years, later organizing the 
State National Guards, in which he was deeply interested. 



316 THURSTON COUNTY 

After losing the command of the State Militia he went to 
California, where he lived until his death, which occurrea 
recently. He is remembered as the father of the IMilitia. 

"Mr. Gelbach cast his lot with the little villag-e of Turn- 
water, where he maintained a continuous residence for 2'V 
years. He built a flouring mill there, and conducted a success- 
ful business until the panic of 1893 relieved him with many 
others, of future business cares. He then served four years 
as County Treasurer. Mr. Gelbach now resides in Spokane, 
the only living member of the little party that so gaily steamed 
into Olympia Harbor 44 years ago. 

"In connection with the present high cost of maintenance 
of the state, Mr. Gelbach recalls an incident of Territorial days 
which makes interesting reading now that the taxpayers are 
called upon to foot the enormous bills for the state's expenses. 

"Governor Saloman occupied an office over George 
Barnes' bank, an adjoining room being used by the Secretary 
of State. One day when Mr. Gelbach w^as in the office 
the executive, Secretary Nick Owings and Auditor T. M. Reed 
entered into a discussion concerning the cost of maintaining 
the Territory for the ensuing year. It was the general con- 
census of opinion that $35,000 would be amply sufficient." 



DAVID T. DREWRY 



Living in peace, contentment and plenty on the magnifi- 
cent farm where they have made their home for the past fifty 
odd years, was found ]\Ir. and Mrs. David T. Drewry when 
the compiler was on the quest of genuine pioneers, as surely 
this venerable couple coidd be so designated as Mr. Drewry 
arrived in the year 1853 and his wife probably a couple of 
years later, the memories of the two were a little vague and 
indistinct in regard to exact dates, but they both knew they 
came here while the entire country was all but an unbroken 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 317 

wilderness and through their yoiitliful plr.ek and energy they 
certainly performed well their share in making at least their 
own holdings bloom and flourish. 

Well kept fields reaching for long stretches along the 
county road, a fine garden spot, flo^vers, and thoroughly 
modern farm house are there today as witnesses of the thrill 
and industry of the couple — young and in the freshness of 
youth when their life was started on the farm a half century 
ago, and now as the shadows of life's evening approach, wait- 
ing with cheerfulness and serenity for the night to fall; happy 
in their children, gTandchildren, and with a mutual love and 
cependence upon each other that was very touching to witness. 

D. T. DrcAvry came to this country as the driver of one 
of Col. Wm. Cock's ox teams from their old home in Missouri. 
where his boyhood had been spent, although the young man 
vras a native of Kentucky but having been left an orphan at 
a very early age, had been adopted by an uncle living in ]\Iis- 
souri. The lad was but seventeen years of age when the trip 
was started and although the journey was made in the regula- 
tion v/ay of travl in those days — over the old Oregon trail with 
ox teams, Col. Cock with his family was so Avell equipped for 
the trip, his oxen were so well fed and cared for that only 
ninety traveling days were consumed from the time the start 
was made from Missouri till the Willamette valley was reached 
— an unusually short time in those days. They had no sick- 
ness, no trouble with the Indians and no particular disasters 
to delay them from reaching their destination. 

After spending the winter in the Y/illamette valley, Col. 
Cock decided to come on to Puget Sound, and indeed, this 
point had been where he had originally intended reaching 
when he made up his mind to emigrate. All places in the 
West looked alike to the young David so he came along with 
his friends. Col. Cock opened and, for several years, was 
proprietor of the historic hotel known as the Pacific House and 
Drewry assisted him in the work about the place for several 
years. 

When the Indian war of 1855-56 broke out DreAvry was 
made wagon master of a train of thirty wagons chartered by 
the government to haul supplies from the Cowlitz landing to 
the Puyallup valley, where the troops Avere encamped. Al- 



bl8 THURSTON COUNTY 

tiioiig'Ii the young man was never in an actual engagement 
with the enemy his train was at one time so close to the White 
River battle that the men could distinctly hear the reports of 
the guns and shouts of the men. The teamsters corralled their 
wagons and waited for some time, expecting an attack, but 
they were not molested. 

Mr. Drewry recalls being at one time a schoolmate of 
John ]\Iilier Murphy, with a Mr. Cornelius as their teacher. 

"They don't have such teachers now," said the old man 
as he began musing over those vanished days, "and they don't 
have as good times as they used to either. In those days we 
were all like one big family, dancing on the slightest provo- 
cation, and how we did use to dance — none of your silly jigs 
and whirlings that the young folks seem to think is the thing 
now. We boys were glad to pay $5 a ticket to a dance. We 
took our best girls and danced quadrilles, polkas and waltzes 
all the afternoon and all night. Dances were dances in those, 
days, too, with a big supper of ham sandwiches, home-made 
cakes and pies and gallons of coffee thrown in at midnight. 

"When I first came to Olympia the white women I can 
remember were Sarah Yantis, Jerusha Hays, Mrs. Scott, Char- 
lotte and Lucy Barnes, Mrs. Cock and her three daughters, 
Carrie, Annie and Roxie, and IMrs. George Barnes. There may 
have been a few others but my memory fails me." 

IMrs. Drewry, when but a young girl of fourteen years 
of age, arrived in Olympia with her parents from her home 
in New York City. Their trip was by way of the Isthmus and 
they Avere among the passengers on the first train connecting 
the Atlantic and Pacific over the route of the now Pananui 
Canal. They had the hardship of having to take their choice 
of walking or riding a mule over a considerable gap in the 
road which was considered unsafe for the little cars to cross 
owing to the settling of the earth under the ties. 

A brother of Emaline Weed, as Mrs. Drewry was then 
known, Charles Weed, had preceded his family to Puget Sound 
and wrote back to his mother, urging her to join him in this 
land of golden opportunities. His advise to his mother, while 
good in the main, was faulty in the respect that he told her 
not to bother to bring any furniture or supplies with her on 
the long trip as everything could be procured here. Mrs. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 319 

Weed followed her son's advise, but upon her arrival in 
Olympia discovered that what women and girls considered ab- 
solute necessaries a young man accustomed to a frontier life 
had grown to regard as perfectly dispensible luxuries. Bed- 
ding, pillows, cooking utensils and every kind of conveniences 
were impossible to buy. Mrs. Weed was delighted to procure 
a few bird's feathers from an Indian squaw which she enclosed 
in some articles of white clothing to make their first pillows. 
The first apples the family could obtain were given them by 
Mr. George Bush, who by that time had a fine orchard in 
bearing. The Bush and Drewry families in latter years be- 
came neighbors and firm friends, as the Weed family bought 
a piece of land on the Des Chutes river near the Bush place 
and lived there till the marriage of Emaline to young Drewery 
in 1858. 

Soon after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Drewry bought 
the place on which they still live, but which was originally 
the Jones homestead. Here their children were born and from 
there were carried forth three of their children, never to re- 
turn, Harvey, Carrie and Frederick, their baby. 

Although Carrie and Frederick were taken while still of 
a tender age, the death of their son, Harvey, in 1911, was a 
crushing blow to the parents, now growing old and dependent 
upon their children for love and care. He was a young man, 
full of life and vigor, with a wife and children to cherish and 
protect, when he met with an instantaneous death while work- 
ing in the field. 

Of the remaining sons, the eldest, Almond, has a hand- 
some countr}^ home within a few rods from the old home and 
the youngest son, Edward V., with his family, lives with his 
parents in order to give the old couple the care and atten- 
tion they need and which only loving hands can give them 
as the wife and mother has lost the sight of her eyes and is 
entirely blind. Her husband and children have surrounded her 
with every comfort and convenience and take delight in fill- 
ing the remaining days with all the pleasure and happiness 
within their power to bestow. 



32C THURSTON COUNTY 



THE BUSH FAMILY 



Clinging like the last withered leaf on the tree, only wait- 
ing for the passing breeze to waft him to join his parents and 
five brothers lives Lewis N. Bush, the youngest son of that 
har.Uest argonaut of them all, George Bush and his faithful 
wife, Isabella James Bitsh. 

The Bush family arrived in what is now known as Thurs- 
ton County as early as 18-15, while this section was an un- 
broken wilderness and v,'ith their party consisting of about 
thirty people were the very first settlers north of the Co- 
lumbia River. 

The original families consisted of the Bush family, father, 
mother and five sons, William 0., Joseph T., Eeilly B., Henrj 
Sanford and Jackson J. ; Mr. and Mrs. M. Simmons with theii 
fuir sons, Mr. and IMrs. McAllister with their son and tAvc 
daughters ; David and Mrs. Talitha Kindred and their son 
John K. ; the Jones family, consisting of father and mothei 
and sons Lewis and I\Iorris and daughter, Elizabeth and two 
single men, Samuel Crockett and Jesse Ferguson. 

AYhen the start was made from the old home in IMissoun 
the elder Bush had laid in a bountiful stock of supplies, 
enough to last him and his oavu family for several years ot 
frontier lif*^. but all his associates had not been so well 
e'luipped and even liefore the last and final stop was made 
there was a shortage of necessities among several ol 
the emigrant families. Bush, with the generosity and kind 
heartedness Avhich Avas his most marked characteristic, divided 
with the less fortunate, even to the subsequent deprivation ot 
bis own famil3^ 

Reaching Puget Sound, the families settled on what has 
ever since been known as Bush Prairie, and took up donatior. 
claims of 640 acres to a family. Lewis Bush enjoys the dis 
finction of being the only man living on an original donatior. 
cla'm west of the mountains. In every other instance the orig 
lva\ owners of elamis have parted v/ith them, but the Bush 
claims has descended in an unbroken line frt/m the father 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 321 

George Bush, to the youngest son and to a grandson, Mr 
John S. Bush, son of W. 0. Bush. 

The first winter spent on Puget Sound was one to try 
mens' souls, there was absolutely nothing in the way of pro- 
visions to be bought for love or money. It is true the Hudson 
Bay Company had a post on the Nesqually with Dr. Tolmie 
manager, but already there was a feeling of jealousy spring- 
ing up in the minds of the managers of the company, over the 
I'apidly increasing number of emigrants coming to share the 
ranges and preempt the fertile land. The agents were forbid- 
den to extend aid to the settlers, so although Dr. Tolmie wa& 
inclined to feel kindly towards the newcomers, he was for 
bidden to openly sell them the necessaries of life. 

Clams, salmon, game and oysters were the substantial 
of diet eked out, with a little wheat and dried peas, which 
still remained of the stores. The settlers learned to eat with 
relish the roots of ferns which they used as green stuff. Flour 
there was none until the Simmons mill was finished in New- 
market. 

The men of the new settlement went right to work build- 
ing cabins for shelter for their families against the winter 
weather, which was about to close in on them. The cabins 
were covered with split shakes and the floors were of pun- 
cheon, while the few simple articles of furniture were manu- 
factured from the cedar logs lying in profusion on the ground. 

Mr. Bush, shortly after his arrival, set out fruit and shade 
trees, the seeds of which he had brought with him from his 
old home. Manj'^ of these trees grew and flourished and 
stand to this day, noble monuments to the hardy old pioneer 

George Bush died in 1863 and his wife a couple of year? 
later. After their deaths the homestead passed into the hands 
of his three sons, W. 0., J. T., and H. S. Bush. In time W 
0. Bush married and became the father of the lady who is 
now Mrs. George Gaston and John Bush. Lewis Bush, in 
speaking of his earlier experiences on the old homestead, said : 

"Yes, those were hard times. We all had to scramble 
for enough to eat. There was simply nothing we could buy 
from any market for several years. I remember one summer 
day an old squaw came to our house with something to eat. 
which she wanted to sell. ^Mother tried to dicker with her but 



322 THURSTON COUNTY 

she only wanted clothes. Money was of no use to her. She 
wanted a shirt for one of her papooses. Now, we had been 
away from home a long- time and clothing was getting scarce 
but mother wanted whatever it was the squaw had so badly 
that she stripped the shirt off of xn.y brother Sanford's bact 
and gave it to the siwash. 

"I was born on the homestead after the folks reached 
Bush Prairie, so I cannot remember as well as could my 
brothers about the Indian war. I know we were all anxious 
and worried for several months and when the first scare was 
on and the red skins had killed SIcAllister and Northcraft 
father moved his family into the Fort at Tumwater for a 
while. But as time went on he was anxious to get back to his 
place, as were the other settlers of our neighborhood, so they 
went to WQ,rk and built a fort of their own on father's farm. 

"Saplings probably fourteen feet long were cut from the 
woods and a trench dug several feet deep. In this trench 
was set upright the saplings in a double row clear around the 
enclosure. This made a high wall which was practically bullet 
proof. Inside this enclosure were the cabins of the settlers — 
each by themselves. We were comfortable enough and lived 
that way fo^ several months. This fort was always knowr 
as Bushs' fort. 

"I was a big lad, probably twelve years old, before I had 
my first pair of shoes. There were none to be had in all the 
country, so I was forced to go barefoot, not that I considered 
that any hardship, for I was used to it and only wanted shoes 
to put on style with. Well, when the first sailing vessel came 
into harbor at Olympia, father went on board to see what of 
the cargo he could buy. There was a whole box of shoes of 
all sizes among the articles father bought. Of course, the 
elders had first pick at the shoes and when I had a turn at 
the box there was only one pair of No. 10s left. They would 
have been big enough for any large man but I was only toe 
tickled to get them and wore the shoes with great pride on 
Sundays and special occasions. Those shoes lasted me foi 
years. 

"Mother made friends with Dr. Tolmie and it was through 
him that she got her first start in poultry and sheep. She had 
traded for a few hens from a French family who were con 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 323 

nected with the Hudson Bay Company, and when one of thesf 
hens showed her willingness to set, mother got a setting of 
turkey eggs from Dr. Tolmie. She was very successful with 
this hatching and by coddling those young turks soon had a 
nice flock. Dr. Tolmie had not been so lucky with his turkeyF 
so he told mother he would trade her a fine ewe for every 
turkey she would let him have. She was glad to do so and 
in that way she got the first start of the large flock of sheep 
which was one of the greatest sources of profit in a few years. 
From Dr. Tolmie also we got the first start of hogs. Well, sr 
we lived for years, always getting ahead a little and I am glad 
to say, always having a little to share with our poorer neigh 
bors. Neither father nor mother could bear to deny anyonf 
who applied to them for assistance." 

Lewis Bush might have gone on and related how the 
Bushs, father and sons were always willing and ready to ex- 
tend a helping hand to the settlers who soon began to pour 
into the country. The Bush farm was the stopping place be- 
tween the settlements of Olympia and New Market and the 
Cowlitz landing and there are still men and women living 
who can recall being entertained at this home. Night or day 
the Bushs kept open house to all comers — no one was turned 
away without being fed and sheltered and in many eases their 
wagons carried substantial gifts of fruit, garden truck and 
grain from Mr. Bush's abundant stores. 

Mr. George H. Himes relates a story about the elder Bush 
which is given here as being characteristic of the open handed 
generosity of not only himself but his six sons as well. One 
year there was a great scarcity of grain. The yield, owing to 
imfavorable conditions, was unusually small. Seattle by this 
time was quite a toM^n and speculators from that place came to 
Mr. Bush and offered him an almost fabulous price for all his 
harvest. They were astounded when their offer was refused, 
and were very chagrined over their failure to corner the out- 
put of grain. They asked Mr. Bush what he intended do- 
ing with his surplus. 

"I'll just keep my grain to let my neighbors who have 
had failures have enough to live on and for seeding their 
fields in the spring. They have no money to pay your fancy 



324 



THURSTON COUNTY 



prices and I don't intend to see them want for anything in 
my power to provide them with." 

With the flight of years the Bush homestead developed 
into a model farm under the skillful management of W. O. 
Bush, who took great pride in raising and preparing for ex- 
hibition samples of the grain and produce grown on his place. 
Exhibits were made at the World's fairs of Philadelphia, Chi- 
cago and Buffalo, which attracted general attention and won 
for Bush medals and diplomas from all three fairs. These 
exhibits were of inestimable value in advertising the resources 
of the Territory of Washington and besides the medals and 
diplomas awarded Mr. Bush personally the County of Thurs- 
ton and the Territory and State of Washington were also 
awarded medals for the best exhibit of grains made by an^ 
section of the entire United States. In the planting, selection 
and arranging of the specimens Mr. Bush was assisted by hi<^ 
young daughter. Belle, who took as great an interest and 
pride in the exhibit as did her father. That young girl is now 
Mrs. George Gaston of Olympia. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 32J 



CAPTAIN SAMUEL WILLEY 



In reviewing the list of men who have been most promi- 
nently identified with the development of Thnrston County 
business it was considered appropriate to mention the men 
who organized what has for many years been known as the 
S. Willey Navigation Company. 

Although the Willeys', father and sons, were not the first 
men to venture their fortunes in water craft plying between 
Olympia and down Sound points, their steamers Multnomah 
and City of Aberdeen were so well known on Puget Sound 
that they are actually a part of the history of Thurston 
County. 

Captain Samuel Willey was one of the gold seekers in 
California as early as 1859, leaving his family in their home 
in Cherryfield, Maine, while he pursued the search of the 
Golden Fleece. After having enjoyed a fair measure of success 
from mining in Syskiyou County, Mr. Willey decided to re 
turn to the East again. He remained with his family until 
1867 when he came out West again, this time settling in Mason 
County. The family were then sent for and the fortunes of 
the Willeys became identified with this section of the country 
He engaged in lumbering during the first few years of his 
Washington residence, but when, in 1880, his son, Lafayette, 
P. L., and George, organized the S. Willey Navigation Com 
pany the elder Willey removed to Olympia and built his 
comfortable home on Eighth street, where he died in the 
year 1897. 

The Willey family consisted of the father and mother 
three brothers and a sister. Shortly after their arrival here 
the brothers took the contract for carrying the mail between 
Olympia and Oakland, which was then the county seat of 
Mason County. For two years the brothers carried the mail 
twenty-five miles in a row boat and then over a country road 
for a further twelve miles, until finally they felt justified in 
investing in a tiny steamer, the Hornet. This gave place within 
a short time to the Susie, which in turn was replaced by the 



326 THURSTON COUNTY 

Willey. This latter steamer was quite a good-sized craft and 
was put on the run between Olympia and Shelton. In 1889 
the Willeys purchased the ]\Iultnomah and a little later the 
City of Aberdeen and put them on the run between this eitj 
and Seattle, the elder brothers becoming Captains of the boats 
The sister of the Willey brothers, Lucretia, was an 
especially pretty and charming young girl and was an un- 
disputed belle of Mason County up to the time of her marriage 
to ]\Ir. Leighton and came to Olympia to make her home. She 
became the mother of two children, Charles Leighton of Seattle 
and her daughter, Bertha. ]Mrs. Leighton died at the home of 
the latter in Olympia in 1911. 



ELISHA NELSON SARJENT 



When on August 28, 1914, Elisha N. Sarjent passed over 
(he Great Divide, there disappeareei one who had been a 
familiar landmark in Thurston County for the past 65 years^ 
one who had been identified with the development of this 
section of Washington from earliest pioneer days. 

Elisha Sarjent Avas gathered to his fathers after a life 
rich in experiences such as are encountered by but few— none 
in these later days. Coming to Puget Sound in the winter 
of 1849-50 he at once identified himself with the frontier life 
of the region he hael selected for his future home. Mr. Sarjeni 
lived to the ripe old age of eig'hty-seven years and at the 
funeral his friend of many years, Hon. Allen Wier, pronounced 
the following heartfelt eulogy : 

"Elisha Nelson Sarjent was born September 8, 1827, in 
Fountain County, Indiana. In 1849 he left Indiana on hi& 
way to the gold fields of California. While crossing the 
plains he was lost for fourteen days before he got back to his 
train. He did not remain in California long, but pushed hif-. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 327 

way north and west and arrived at Puget Sound on a sailing 
vessel during the winter of 1849-50, thus identifying himsell 
with the original and adventurous gold seekers commonly 
known as '49ers.' He helped to build the first house in 
Olympia, thus his identity as one of the real argonauts of 
Thurston County is established. 

"Among his experiences in the then unknown wilds of the 
great Northwest, was being shipwrecked in Queen Charlotte 
Sound, among the Northern Indians, in the winter of 1851-52. 
when he and others were captured and held among hostile 
savages during a period of fifty-three days. Among his com- 
panions was John Thornton, a respected old-time citizen and 
resident of Clallam County, in this State. 

"In 1853 Mr. Sarjent went out from the Puget Sound 
basin across the Cascade Mountains and met the incoming 
immigrant train and piloted the new comers through the 
Natchez Pass into Pierce County. This was the first influx 
of settlers coming by way of the Natchez Pass. Among those 
coming at that time were members of the Himes family who 
settled in Olympia, and the family of Mrs. Prasier, who was 
reported as coming into this country riding on the back 
of an ox. 

"Mr. Sarjent saw valiant service in the Indian war of 
1855-56, in which he was a First Lieutenant of Volunteers. 

"He took a donation claim near Grand Mound, in Thurs- 
ton County, where his house has stood for something like 
sixty-five years, and where he was married more than fifty- 
four years ago. His wife, who was Miss Lucretia Mounts, 
has been by his side during these years, a faithful helpmeet 
through good and evil report. Their two sons, Fred Sarjent 
and Asher Sarjent, with their families were among the sorrow- 
ing mourners at the funeral. 

"Mr. Sarjent was one of the most modest of men, seldom 
speaking of these trying times that tested the courage and 
manhood of those who had to stand guard at block house 
defenses and protect the women and children from hostile 
attack. Nevertheless, his duty was always quietly performed, 
and with credit to himself. No one ever heard of a dishonor- 
able act on his part, and a significant comment by one of his 
nearest neighbors was that during an intimate acquaintance 
of something like sixty years, when line fences were often 



328 THURSTON COUNTY 

out of repair and stock became frequently mixed up, nothing 
even remotely resembling a quarrel ever occurred. 

"Could anything more fully attest the sterling worth of 
the hardy manhood and Avomanhood of our honored pioneers? 
"May their shadows never be less, and the worth 3- ex- 
ample thus shown be followed by later comers. 

"Nelson Sarjent has gone to his reward. Like a sheaf 
of fully ripened grain, he has been gathered. His example 
has been one of duty fully performed. His place among the 
army of worthy citizens who demonstrated their right in th? 
front rank of worthy pioneers of this great Northwest has 
passed beyond question. 

"On Fame's eternal camping ground 
Their silent tents are spread. 
While glory guard with solemn round 
Their bivouac of the dead." 



MR. P. D. MOORE 



Hale, clear-minded, genial and active with a life of almost 
ninety years stretching out behind him, Mr. P. D. Moore is 
a remarkable example of the staunch timber that went to- 
wards the making of the men and women of the past century. 

When this grand old-young man was asked to contribute 
some of his reminiscences of early days on Puget Sound, of 
which he was in a position to recall many, owing to his long 
residence here and the many stirring events of which he was 
a participant, Mr. Moore said : 

"It is over fifty years since I first came to Olympia and 
on my arrival I was pleasantly surprised to find not only n 
charming climate and magnificent scenery but its people 
educated, cultured, enterprising and extremely hospitable and 
neighborly, reminding me of a New England town. Of cours'^ 
the country was new and the town young, but the people were 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES S29 

as one family, helpful, generous and sociable. Whether it be 
a funeral or a tlanee everybody was there. Money was plenti- 
ful and prices of products and goods were high, but there were 
no croakers or kickers. In 1864 Blockhouse Smith sold to 
Charlie "Williams five 'tons of butter at 55 cents a pound. Tho 
same year the only 4th of July celebration on Puget Sound wa«. 
at Olympia when seventeen steamers brought crowds and it 
was estimated that between four and five thousand peoplt 
assmbied at the Capital grounds to do honor to the Nation's 
birthday. Governor Pickering presided. On Christmas day. 
the only Christmas tree was in the hall of the Washington 
hotel (now the New England Hotel), but there w^ere presents 
on that tree of a total value of over $2,500 and everybod\ 
was there. 

"The principal merchants of Olympia when I first came 
here were Chas. E. Williams, Edmund Sylvester, L. Bettman 
George Barnes, I. Liehtner and I. Harris. But we also had 
the "Busy B's" — Bush, Barnes, Biles, Billings, Blankenship. 
Brown, Bettman, Bigelow and Beatty. They have all passed 
to the "Great Beyond", except Mr. Beatty, who still remains 
with US in the enjoyment of a ripe old age. 

"In 1863 I was appointed by President Lincoln, Collector 
of Internal Revenue for Washington and Idaho, and then 1 
brought my family from New Jersey, and on the Bark 
Naramisic they were sixty-three days coming from San Fran- 
cisco to Puget Sound, breaking the record for time in coming 
from San Francisco. 

"In those early days — the '60s — there were many ex- 
citing and interesting events. In the session of the Legislature 
in 1868 the House of Representatives elected me its Chaplain, 
the first instance of a free-thinking Quaker being elected to 
that office. At the same session ]\Iiss Peebles, now Mrs. Mack- 
intosh, of Seattle, and mother of Judge Mackintosh, was 
elected Enrolling and Engrosing Clerk, being the first woman 
elected to serve in a legislative body in the history of the world. 
I may add she done her work so promptly and ably that she 
received the unanimous commendation of the House of Rep- 
resentatives. 

"At a session of the Legislature, Chas. Bradshaw was 
elected President of the Council, but as he did not act to suit 



330 THURSTON COUNTY 

H. K. Strnve, also a member of the Council, he was deposed 
from the Presidency by Struve's vote, whereupon Struve, by 
his own vote, made himself President of the Council. This 
procedure caused much excitement in Olympia and an indigna- 
tion meeting, largely attended, was held,' at which Garfield and 
others scored Struve severely. Struve was for a long time Secre- 
tary of the Territory, during which time and when he was a 
member of the Legislature, he was not a citizen, never having 
been naturalized, and moreover he was a deserter from the 
Army, liable to be caught and shot. Some cheek and some nerve 
that ! But it must be admitted, nevertheless, he was a very 
able and useful man. In 1864 or 65, I obtained from the East 
the first Early Rose potatoes, paying $2.00 a pound for them, 
and I also introduced the first asparagus at the same time, 
both being the first introduced in the Pacific Northwest, and 
very successfully cultivated in my garden at IMain and Four- 
teenth Streets, where there has recently been erected a 
large apartment house. 

"I took the U. S. Census in 1870 for Thurston and Lewis 
Counties, and at that time Olympia was the largest town or 
city in the Territory, having a population of 1,232, and nearly 
a hundred more than Seattle. In taking the census in Lewis 
County I came across Marcel Bernier, born in 1820 of French 
Canadian parents at Fort Colville, being the first white child 
born in the Commonwealth of Washington. In 1880 I took 
the U. S. Census in Chehalis County, and where Aberdeen 
is now, I found only Sam Benn and family, and at Hoquiam 
only two families — Ed. Campbell and family, and Mr. Karr 
and family. Some growth at these two places since then ! 

"Olympia had a prominent character in the person of 
Mrs. Rebecca Howard, proprietor of the principal hotel — the 
Pacific House, at the corner of Third and Main Streets. She 
was a handsome colored woman from Boston, Mass., and a 
very enterprising, pojoular and successful business woman. 
Some addressed her as Aunt Becky, instead of INIrs. Howard, 
but she resented it. On one occasion a somewhat eminent man 
addressed her as Aunt Becky and she promptly inquired of 
him whether she was his father's or his mother's sister. 

"When the news of President Lincoln's assassination was 
received in Olympia, the Democratic party was holding its 
Territorial Convention here. IMajor Haller was a delegate 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 331 

and was in my office when the word came. He was overcome 
with emotion and freely shed manly tears, and went to the 
convention and proposed an adjournment without making a 
nomination for Delegate to Congress, which nearly carried. 

''I was a witness and participant in several very dramatic 
events on Puget Sound in the early '60s — notably the capture 
of the Custom House at Port Townsend in 1862, when the guns 
of the Revenue Cutter, double-shotted were brought to bear 
on the Custom House and notice given to surrender or at the 
end of fifteen minutes the building would be shelled. 

"Also the capture of the 'Shubrick' in the middle of the 
Straits of Fuea, when an attempt was made to run into the 
rebel service. The details of these and other events have an 
historic interest which I hope to w^rite out some time. But 
you must now excuse me, as, although I am about 89 years 
young, yet I am a busy man." 

]Mr. Moore was born in Rahwaj', New Jersey, and married 
Miss Phoebe Earle in Newark of the same State. Ten children 
were born to the couple, of whom only three still live : A. 
Schooley, Janet S. and Lindley D. Of the remaining children, 
two boys, Edward and Phillip, and a daughter, Ella D., died 
before the family ventured their fortunes in the West. The 
eldest daughter, Lida, became the wife of W. P. Winans, a 
Walla Walla banker and capitalist, and became the mother 
of three sons, Gilbert P., Phillip ]\I. and Allen Lida, all making 
their home in Walla Walla. Mrs. Winans died in San Fran- 
cisco many years ago, but her memory is still cherished by 
the pioneers of an earh^ day of Thurston County. The chil- 
dren who died in Olympia are Waldo G., Gerald and Edna 
W., the latter having become ]\Irs. Eddings and the mother 
of one daughter, Edna Earle Eddings. Mrs. Moore died in 
Olympia on July 17, 1899, after a well spent life, during which 
time she had had the satisfaction of seeing her living children 
all grown to maturity and comfortably settled in life. Mrs. 
Moore was a charter member of the Woman's Club of Olympia 
and a leader in every good work for the benefit of mankind 
and the uplift of society. 



232 THURSTON COUNTY 



CAPTAIN SAMUFL WING PERCIVAL 



(By His Daughter, Georgiana Percival Ford.) 

Captain Samuel Wing Percival of Hanover, Mass., had 
iollowed the sea from a boy until the time of his marriage, 
and had shown such aptitude and evinced so high a sense of 
responsibility that he was made master, by the owners of 
the vessel, on his third voyage. These voyages were to ports 
on the ]Mediterrean Sea, Barcelona, ]\Iarseilles, Constantinople 
and through the Black Sea to Odessa, also through the Balti*^ 
Sea to St. Petersburg, and while these voyages were not lack- 
ing in thrilling experiences, he brought his ship safely to port 
each trip, and letters from the owners are preserved filled with 
expressions of commendation and gratitude. These letters 
show a high ideal, and abound with expressions that would 
doubtless cause great surprise today, counseling the young 
captain to hold the honorable name of the ship's owners above 
dollars and cents, and voicing their full confidence in their 
belief that he would never descend to a dishonorable transac- 
tion for mere gain. 

Mrs. Lurana Ware Percival made the trip from her home 
in Plymouth, JMass., around Cape Horn, arriving at San Fran- 
cisco May 5th, 1850. She embarked from New York on the 
Clipper Brig "Reindeer" and the trip was made in 153 sail- 
ing days, the record trip to that date. The weather and other 
conditions were favorable for a successful and interesting 
voyage, and she always spoke of the varied experiences of 
that five months' journey with great pleasure. 

She found San Francisco a small I\Iexican-Spanish town, 
consisting of a row of adobe houses around the Plaza, a few 
frame houses and many zinc houses and tents scattered over 
vacant lots, reaching from Broadway street to Telegraph Hill. 
She landed from the ship's boat on Montgomery street, the 
bay extending to the street. 

In November, 1850, she went with friends to Portland, 
Oregon. A number of passengers were anxious to get into 
the Territory before the time expired to secure 640 acres of 
land. For this reason the Captain took his ship in to the 




CAPT. AND MRS. S. W. PERCIVAIv 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 333 

Umpqua River, and landed these passengers and they walked 
to Rosebiirg. Umpqua City consisted of two small zinc 
houses, occupied by a few white men, who had taken claims 
and were trading with the Indians, and a settlement of Indian 
houses ; these houses were boarded around the sides, the tops 
covered with Indian mats. In a paper entitled "Personal 
Reminiscences of Early Days," read before the Woman's Club 
of Olympia, (from which many of the incidents given are 
gleaned) my mother says: "I had never seen such long and 
wide boards, they were from three to four feet wide. Upon 
inquiry I learned that the Indians burned the tree instead of 
cutting it down, split the cedar logs into boards by driving 
ii wedges, then kept them over a slow fire until they were suffi- 
ciently charred to be rubbed with smooth stones until they were 
the required thickness and nicely polished." Mrs. Pereival was 
the first white woman to step on shore at the mouth of the 
Umpqua River, and was a great curiosity to the natives, who 
were most attentive to her, coming out to the ship in canoes 
the next day, with presents of huckleberries, which grew in 
great abundance near the village, and when she was on shore, 
bending down the bushes, which were high, that she might 
pick the berries. The bay being land-locked with a dangerous 
bar, the captain waited ten days for a fair wind to enable him 
to cross in safety; during this time the weather was delight- 
fully warm and those who wished to go were one day rowed 
up the river about ten miles to a beautiful island, where coffee 
was made and a picnic lunch served. Picnics and ripe huck- 
leberries late in November were amazing facts to a young 
woman from the New England states. 

The Columbia River bar was reached late in the after- 
noon and found to be very rough. No pilot responded to the 
captain's signals, so he steered off coast for more sea room: 
and it was well he did. for my mother records that they had. 
that night, the hardest storm she ever experienced at sea. The 
decks were washed of every thing movable, bulwarks stove 
in, cargo shifted, so that the vessel lay over on one side; the 
sailors performed their duties with ropes fastened about their 
waists; several seas washed entirely over the ship, forcing 
water through the skylight into the cabin, where the passengers 
sat speechless. The storm abated as morning dawned and the 
entire day was given to righting the vessel, using the pumns 



334 THURSTON COUNTY 

and moving the cargo ; they had drifted so far that two days 
were required to retiirn to the river. 

Again failing to secure a pilot, the Captain determined 
to run in without one, although it was his first trip to the 
Columbia River. He crossed the bar safely and was soon an- 
chored at Astoria. I again cjuote from the paper already men- 
tioned: "When speaking of pioneer life on the Pacific Coast, 
few ever mention the difficult and dangerous pioneer work 
done by sailing vessels and their crews; nearly every harbor 
and river on the coast is barred except Puget Sound and it 
was several years before there were steam tugs enough for 
all these ports. Working a vessel up the river was a long and 
tedious trip for sailors ; all things favorable, it took from a 
week to ten days to reach Portland and had to be done by 
hedging, and towing with row boats." 

Portland was a small village, there were no cleared streets 
and the townsite having been heavily timbered, huge stumps 
breast high, were left standing, making it necessar}^ to carry 
a lantern or a candle after dark, and it was the custom for a 
box of candles to be kept by the door, and the departing eve- 
ning caller was handed a lighted candle, which he extinguished 
and deposited in the box at the next house he entered. 

There was but one house boasting a brick chimney, the 
home of Captain Nathaniel Crosby (grandfather of Samuel 
C. Woodruff and Ada Woodruff Anderson, author of "The 
Heart of the Red Firs" and "The Strain of White," also 
Charles A. Burr, Mrs. Maude Basse, and June Burr). The 
brick for the chimney and other materials necessary for a 
well-built house, had been shipped around Cape Horn, and 
those who were privileged to enjoy the delightful hospitality 
of that home were fortunate indeed. While in Portland a 
trip was made in a rowboat to Milwaukee, to be present at the 
launching of the first steamer built in Oregon, the "Lot Whit- 
comb." (On this occasion ]\Irs. Percival made the acquaint- 
ance of Judge Matthew P. Deady). All were handsomely 
entertained, at the residence of IMr. Lot Whitcomb, the founder 
of the town, and rowed down the river to Portland in the 
evening. Another trip was one, made with saddle horses, De- 
cember 31, 1850, to Oregon City, the largest village on the 
Willamette. There were no roads and the party followed the 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 335 

narrow Indian trails, one after the other, in true Indian style, 
ferrying on scows pulled by ropes stretched across the river ; 
the hotel was very comfortable and my mother was happily 
surprised to meet a young man there, who had come around 
the Horn on the ship she had passage on. She also made the 
acquaintance of Captain S. W. Percival, (who commanded 
the schooner "Crescent City," also loading in Portland) whom 
she afterward married in San Francisco, April 3rd, 1851. The 
next day the party returned to Portland, as they had come, 
and all attended the New Year's ball in the evening. An- 
other outing was a trip to Fort Vancouver. The Willamette 
was ferried, a forest was traversed (now East Portland). On 
the banks of the Columbia Eiver men were found with very 
large row boats to convey passengers to the other shore ; as 
they returned, after crossing the river and taking the horses. 
snow began to fall, thick and fast, and the trail was soon 
obliterated. The party consulted and decided that, as the 
horses were cold and hungry, they would doubtless take the 
shortest route home, and ceased to guide them. They emerged 
from the forest before dark and the party received a warm 
welcome and hot supper on the Brig "Reindeer," where some 
uneasiness had been felt as to their safety. 

After his marriage my father purchased a large store on 
AVashington street, San Francisco, and commenced business, 
occupying the story above as a dwelling house, and my par- 
ents were well settled by the first of May. On June 22, they 
AA^ere burned out by the third great fire, which consumd nearly 
all the city. House, furniture, nearly all the contents of the 
store were swept away, but the greater part of the clothing 
was saved. They moved into an unfinished building on iMont- 
gomery street and began business again. 

In 1852 they went to Parks Bar, a good-sized mining town, 
on the Yuba River. While there they buried their eldest 
child, Lurana Curtis Percival, and at the end of the year, on 
account of the prevalence of cholera, and the failure of the 
mines that season, they returned to San Francisco and took 
passage on the Barque Sarah Warren, Captain A. B. Gove, 
deciding to begin life again in that part of the Northwest 
which had so great an attraction for them. They arrived in 
Olympia, January 1, 1853. 



336 THURSTON COUNTY 

My mother was the sixth woman to settle in town. She 
writes: ''I found Mrs. Geo. Barnes, Mrs. Simpson P. Moses, 
wife of Collector of Customs ; Mrs. C. H. Hale, JMrs. Close, wife 
of first Methodist minister, and j\Irs. Fischer, (a widow). Mrs. 
Adam Wiley was living on a claim two miles down the bay 
At Tumwater were the Simmons, Crosby, Barnes and Kindred 
families and Mr. and ]Mrs. R. I\I. Walker, also several families 
on the prairies beside the Chambers and Hays. Our principal 
amusement was horseback riding, so we were quite neighborly 
vrith our prairie friends." 

Again, I quote: "AVe commenced housekeeping in one 
large room, ran the stovepipe through the window, one corner 
was kitchen, one bedroom, one store room, sitting room in 
center. The trees had been felled from Main street to the 
water (on the west) as far as Sixth street, and from Fourth 
street to the water (on the north). All along the beach were 
Indian huts, and the whole beach Vv'as lined with canoes. The 
Indian women had all the work to do, and had been treated 
like beasts so long that, for a time, it vras thought to be use- 
less to try to teach them anything. Each family would take 
an Indian boy and most of them were quick to learn. ***** 
For several years we were our own dress makers and milliners, 
took care of each other when sick, and in fact, did all kinds 
of work, even to making the most of our furniture. When a 
few of the squaws learned to wash and iron it was a great 
help to us; the well known 'Old Betsy' was one of the first 
to learn ; they preferred old clothes to money for their work 
until they learned to sew. During the year of 1853 many 
families came, which gave us plenty of society." Record is 
made of the delightful horseback parties, clam bakes, boat 
rides and dances, and ]\Irs. Percival says: "The only draw- 
back to our pleasure, was the length of time it took to hear 
from our eastern friends. We had a steamer from San Fran- 
cisco once each month, bringing our mails; sailing vessels 
came, often bringing freight, passengers and news from San 
Francisco." A sewing society was soon formed, and at the 
first fair $500.00 was cleared, which sum was used to finish 
itff the second story of the school house and furnish it with 
seat:?, tAvo chairs, a table and lamps, that tlie clergymen of 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 337 

any denomination might hold divine service. The Methodists 
were the first to bnild a church. 

In 1855 my mother visited her relatives in Massachusetts. 
She made this trip by way of the Isthmus of Panama, and 
returned by the Nicaruaga Route, accompanied by her young- 
est sister, Emma E. Cleale (now Mrs. H. F. Cornwall, of Oak- 
land, Cal.), and the adopted infant daughter of a sister, who 
had been called from earth shortly before her arrival at her 
old home. A diarj^ account (extracts from which are given) 
of the return trip, plainly shows that more hardships and 
peril attended this trip than the one ''Around the Horn." 
Memoranda of voyage from New York to San Francisco, 
in 1855. (The person alluded to as Gershom was the child's 
father, who accompanied his sisters-in-law to the Pacific 
Coast) : 

Menoranda of Voyage from New York to San Francisco in 1855 
Left the wharf in the good steamship Northern Light, on the 
evening of September 20th. Emma seasick; baby worri- 
some. 
September 21 — Cloudy, but fine breeze. Baby seasick. Weather 

getting warm as we come south, 
September 22.— Weather very warm. Many passengers seasick. 
September 23 — Sunday — a very fine day. No preaching. Sea- 
sick passengers getting better. 
September 24 — A large number of passengers on board, over 
800, great many on deck now, some watching the water, 
some the moon, some playing cards, whilst other pass re- 
marks upon them. Babe asleep. 
September 25 — Very warm ; passed some of the West Indies 

today. 
September 26 — Passed the Isle of Cuba this morning and this 
eve watched the sun sink behind the mountains of Ja- 
maica — a very beautiful sight. Babe begins to pick up 
a little. 
September 28 — Commenced weighing baggage. I had to pay 

$15.65 for two trunks. 
September 29 — Left the Northern Light at Greytown ; 
went on board a small steamer, E. L. Hunt, and proceeded 
up the river. Arrived at Castillo Rapids at three a. m. 
Got breakfast at the National Hotel. Very poor fare. 



338 THURSTON COUNTY 

From there walked about half a mile and went on board 
another small steamer and proceeded up the river twelve 
miles farther, then exchanged for the lake boat, the San 
Carlos, a new and very comfortable boat. Dropped anchor 
at Virgin Bay and commenced landing passengers. We 
went to the National Hotel and got some supper, which 
our Indians wouldn't eat, and then had to pay $12.50 for 
one dirty little room, full of spiders and other insects too 
numerous to mention — tried to clean it out a little — 
killed about tAventy tarantulas and made up some beds on 
the floor as best we could. 

October 1 — Still at the hotel and likely to be here for some 
time, as the steamer from San Francisco has not got into 
San Juan yet. We had to pay $1.00 per meal, which 
takes off the cash quite fast, but today have got tickets 
from the company for the whole time v»'e may be detained 
here. Very poor fare ; everything filthy so cannot eat and 
am obliged to go hungry. 

October 2 — Babe six months old today and has two teeth. 
Fare rather better today. The men are amusing them- 
selves outside, getting the natives to run races. 

October 3 — Very warm. At noon heard the joyful news the 
Cortez had arrived at San Juan. Some of the passengers 
are coming in now. Presume we Avill start tomorrow. I 
fear the dear little babe has the whooping cough. 

October 4 — A great many of our passengers left this morning 
to cross over to San Juan, and a great many left behind 
yet. There are not carriages nor mules enough to take 
them across. One wagon came back and thirteen women 
and children got in^ but had not got out of sight of the 
house, before we were told we must get out and walk, as 
the mules were so tired they could scarcely drag the 
wagon. Most all got out and walked but myself. I walked 
with the babe over very bad places and down hill, but 
when I thought there was no danger I would sit in the 
wagon with the child. It was so much easier for the baby. 
Sometimes it rained and I had to walk with the baby 
wrapped in heavy shawls to protect it from the rain, and 
a heavy umbrella besides. I thought the saying a true 
one that we don't know how much we can endure until 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES - 339 

we are tried. We travelled till long after dark and I 
thought we would have to stay out of doors all night, when 
one gentleman came back with three mules and Emma and 
another young lady got on and rode off for the half-way 
house some two or three miles distant. In about another 
half an hour Greshom and. another man came back to see 
what had become of us and found us in the middle of the 
road, the mules determined not to go another step. The 
question was, what was to be done? One thing was cer- 
tain, we must have some food for the child and shelter. I 
got on Gershom's mule and he took the child in his arms 
and we started off for the half-way house. Sometimes I 
walked and he rode and carried the carpet bag. We walked 
this way until we came to the house at 10 o'clock, covered 
with mud, and so dark we could scarcely see the road. 
Were very glad to find shelter. The dear little one never 
cried once all that long afternoon and hard journey. First 
thing was to get something warm for -her and then for 
ourselves. 

October 5— Fine morn. All rose in good spirits and had a good 
breakfast and clean dishes to eat from, a luxury we had 
not enjo3'ed for a long time before. Orange, lemon and 
tamarind trees looked fine in a cultivated state. The 
wagon just arrived that I left the night before. All that 
were left were obliged to spend the night in the wagon. 
They all looked like the last roses of summer. Brought in 
some fresh mules and we are commencing our journey 
again. But fresh as our mules might have been we are all 
obliged to walk over two-thirds of the waj^ into San Juan. 
We went to the Pacific House. Babe seems quite sick today. 
Her upper gums are swollen very badly and makes her 
head very hot. This afternoon I thought she was going 
into a fit. It frightened me very badly. Called a physician. 

October 6 — Babe has the whooping cough sure enough. We 
all feel about tired out. The cholera is on board the 
steamer and we do not feel in any hurry to go on board. 
Four died before we came here and two today, and it is 
reported many are sick. Things do not look very favor- 
able for us. All we can do is put our trust in God. ]\Iany 
would stay here until the next steamer, were things 



340 THURSTON COUNTY 

pleasant, but the place is full of Walker's fillibustering 
party and it is hard to get enough to eat. The Cortez is 
a very small boat and I cannot think where they can 
stow so many people. All the beds we have had to sleep 
on since we left the Northern Light is a narrow cot, with- 
out any pillow or clothing except one dirty sheet spread 
over. Just think, one dollar per night for cot and sheet. 
and fifty cents for a hammock. One of Walker's men 
was shot on the beach this morning for stealing cattle. 

October 7 — Two more deaths on board last night. We saw a 
man and his wife come on shore this morning to bury their 
child. They dug a hole in the beach and laid the child in 
and covered it over. About tea time a gun was fired from 
the Cortez as a signal for us to go on board. Found things 
very black and dirty. 

October 8 — Proceeded to sea at 2 p. m. Very much crowded, 
very poor fare and a slow boat. Got our baggage today 
and arranged our room quite comfortably. 

October 9 — Very warm. One of the butchers was kicked over- 
board by an ox. Stopped steamer and got him saft3ly again. 
This evening one of the boats got loose and had to stop 
again to pick it up. Emma seasick. Baby troublesome 
and sick. If I had time would be about sick myself. 

October 10 — Baby growing very sick and the weather exceed- 
ingly hot. Don't make much headway. Crossing the Gulf 
of Tehauntepec, which makes it very rough and most all 
seaijick. 

October 11. — Warmest weather we have had. One little baby 
died this morning and I saw it thrown overboard without 
any ceremony at all. It makes me feel very bad, for I am 
afraid mine will soon have to follow. She seems very 
low. The doctor says the only chance for her is a good 
breast of milk. I find one lady on board kind enough to 
do it — Mrs. Irvine. She has nursed her twice this evening. 
Poor little thing, she seems so hungry for it. 

October 12 — A little more air today. Babe seems much brighter 
and has excellent appetite. At 2 p. m. went into Acapulco 
for provisions and water. It is a very pretty looking 
place. Would like to go ashore if I could. Babe does 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 341 

not seem so well this eve. Cannot nurse well. ]\Ioiith is 
growing- sore very fast. 
October 13— Babe very low. I don't think she can possibly live 
through the day. We have done everything mortals can 
do for her. The doctor comes to see her every half hour 
and all the officers are exceedingly kind. The engineer 
has offered me the use of his room on the upper deck 
where we can have better air and be more by ourselves. 
At five o'clock babe seemed to see the spirit of her angel 
mother awaiting to receive her. She sweetly smiled, the 
most Heavenly smile that mortal ever put on, and then 
her Spirit fled to Him that gave it. She has gone to her 
own dear mother and her Maker. IMay the Lord's will be 
done is my prayer. Mrs. Irvine dressed our little pet for 
the burial and a sweeter corpse never was seen. The 
dear little hand, so beautiful in life, is beautiful still, and 
that sweet smile lingers about the lovely face. At 7 
o'clock she was taken on deck and Mr. SmJth, the Purser, 
read the funeral service. The Captain, himself, held the 
lifeless form and consigned it to the deep. It is the first 
ceremony that has been said over anyone on board this 
ship and I feel truly thankful for the respect shown our 
feelings. I know no difference in my feelings than if I 
had given life to the child. 

October 14. — Very warm. The fourth Sunday since we left 
New York. One man buried this morning. I am very 
lonely and cannot tell what to do with myself. 

October 18 — -Fine day. One woman died, a steerage passenger. 

October 18 — Spoke a whale ship today and laid by three hours 
to get some water and provisions as we were very short. 
One man died in the steerage. The poor wife is nearly 
crazy. She has lost two children and her husband on this 
trip. 

October 18 — Quite cool. Young girl — steerage passenger — died 
in the night. 

October 19 — Weather very cold, 

October 20 — Hope to get in tomorrow for we are very short of 
everything — have to wash in salt water. 

October 21 — This Sunday morning in sight of the entrance to 



342 THURSTON COUNTY 

San Francisco Harbor. All on board seemed so glad to 

get in. 

When my mother arrived in San Francisco in October, 
1S55, she found letters from her husband, requesting her to 
remain there until the Indian war was over. In 1856 the do- 
mestic and social life of the pioneer settlement was resumed 
and she worked with unflagging zeal for state and school and 
church, wherever woman's aid was needed, that the coming 
generation might find a foundation worthy cf the superstruc- 
ture which she firmly believed they would erect. Her faith, 
pride and interest in the State of Washington, and all that 
pertained to its welfare and advancement, remained with her 
to the closing moments of life. 

]\Iy father took charge of the Kendall Company's affairs, 
which v.-ere so extensive and varied, that he was able to em- 
ploy many who arrived with their fortunes sadly depleted, 
and, for a span of years, this western part of the state was 
largely peopled by settlers who to the present day take pleas- 
ure in reminding members of the family that "Your father 
gave me my first work." 'Mr. Pereival aftervrards bought 
the property on the corner of ]\Iain. and Second streets from 
the Kendall Company, where he carried on business until 1876, 
when the partnership of T. X. Ford & Company was formed. 
Prior to enteric g the mercantile business he built and operated 
a saw mill, which was located at the mouth of Pereival Creek. 
He also built the dock for the accommodation of the first 
steamers running to Olympia. 

In the early years of business life. I am confident that he 
never failed to extend a helping hand to his less fortunate 
felloAv man. A man of quiet tastes, loyal to his state, town, 
church and lodge, ever foremost in any movement for the de- 
velopment and advancement of the state, the future of which 
he saw with the eyes of faith, desiring no political preferment, 
he filled positions of trust, was custodian of moneys and valu- 
ables, and in the large warehouse, corner of Second and Colum- 
bia streets, built July, 1857, now owned by Mr. W. J. Foster and 
Mr. S. M. Pereival, (and I will state in passing that vessels lay 
alongside and discharged directly into the Columbia street 
doors of this warehouse) he housed property of the Territory 
as well as of individuals : he shirked no duty, evaded no re- 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 343 

spDnsibility, was free from prejudice and lived and died true 
to the religious and political convictions he had espoused in 
youth. Xotablj' among the many services rendered to the 
Territory by him in those early days was a trip to California 
to get supplies to carry on the Indian war of 1855 and 56. 
Many sections of the country were impoverished at that time, 
and our military operations were liable to failure for want 
of supplies. Conditions became so grave that Governor Isaac 
I. Stevens called Captain Percival to his assistance and com- 
missioned him to go to San Francisco and arrange with the 
merchants there to furnish the Territory with the needed sup- 
plies and for this purpose Captain Percival was authorized to 
charter vessels to bring the supplies to Puget Sound, which 
vras done. 

Soon after the Indian war, while on Squaxon Island over- 
seeing a crew of men, who were cutting piles for the build- 
ing of the sea-wall of San Francisco, my father was struck by 
the top of a tree, which was broken off by the descent of the 
tree that had just been felled; he was bruised and scratched 
and his leg was broken. Late in the afternoon of the next 
day my mother was startled by a roll of blankets being hurled 
into the middle of the room, and saw an Indian standing in 
the open doorway. Recognizing the blankets, she asked, 
"Where is the Captain?" The Indian drew up his leg and 
passed his finger across it ; my mother rushed to the door in 
time to receive Mr. J. R. and John Wood carrying my father 
on a blanket ; these neighbors were engaged in shingling the 
roof of the brewery which for many years stood on the corner 
of Fifth and Columbia streets, and from that height they 
could look down into the canoe as it was drawn up on the 
beach and discover the form of a man lying in it. He had 
been brought home by two Indians who had paddled the en- 
tire way without taking rest. 

This was the best that could have been done, for the only 
way of getting from place to place was by canoe or rowboat. 
My father's foot was turned around, and the limb and foot 
so badly swollen that the toes were not visible, five indenta- 
tions marking the place where they should be. My mother and 
the friends used their best judgment in setting the limb, and 
some one, (I regret that the name has escaped me), went on 



344 THURSTON COUNTY 

horseback to the military post at Steilacoom, to ask aid of the 
surgeon. Army regulations prevented him from leaving the 
post although he could, and did, attend anyone who could 
come to him ; he gave the messenger such advice and direc- 
tions as it was possible for him to do. The Rev. JNIr. Close 
had brought from his eastern home a quart bottle of home- 
made hartshorn liniment, which he hastened to bring to my 
mother, this and embrocations of salt and water, were used to 
reduce the swelling and my father made a quick recovery — 
he was about on crutches in three weeks' time. His limb was 
perfectl}^ united, he could leap, run and dance as well as ever 
and his rapid walk and active movements were not altered in 
the least. My father's fine constitution, good habits of life, 
heroic courage, the wholesome living in the open air con- 
tributed to his restoration. 

This story is not given as an isolated case, but as an 
example of what splendid heights the pioneer woman rose to, 
when occasion demanded it. I could cite instances where 
small women far removed from aid dragged and lifted heavy 
men, who had received injuries, to a place of safety, and cared 
for their wounds alone. To the Avoman of today, surrounded 
by antiseptics, and the wonderful appliances of modern sur- 
gery, relieved from the suspense of watching for "proud flesh" 
to appear in the wound, with physicians and trained nurses 
ready to respond to a call, this experience, which my mother 
passed through, will appeal (it has seemed to me) more than 
any other I can give. 

In March my mother, with my brothers S. M. and J. C. 
and myself, visited the relatives in IMassachusetts. We went 
and returned by way of the Isthmus of Panama from San 
Francisco, having reached that city by sailing vessel, and the 
memory of that trip is a joy to me still. The steamers Avere 
palatial, for the times, (we were in advance of the railroad) 
the service above criticism; twice a week concerts were given 
on deck by the dining saloon waiters (who were colored men) 
sports and entertaining features Avere arranged by the ship's 
oiTicers, for no one retired until midnight, on account of the 
heat. I Avas in my tAvelfth year, but a pioneer child Avas much 
older in the capacity of receiAnng impressions and appreciat- 
ing opportunities, than a child of the same age today, and 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 343 

the matchless beauty of the phcphorescent ocean, the South- 
ern constellations, the gracefulness of the natives on the Isth- 
mus, the water sports and diving of the natives for coins at 
jManzanillo, where we made a stop, have been a vivid life-time 
pleasure and were as thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated as 
they could be today, ^ly father joined us in the Summer 
(leaving his large business in the hands of his confidential 
young bookkeeper, Mr. A. A, Phillips), and we all returned in 
November, accompanied by three sisters, the Misses Cushman. 
We children were made happy by the gift of a fine piano, 
which father had purchased in Boston, and which had to be 
shipped "around the Horn." 

No piano ever contributed more to the pleasure of the 
family and the neighborly children than that one. The first 
brass band, Mr. S. C. Woodruff, leader, organized and prac- 
ticed three times a week in the kitchen of our home, after the 
Chinese servant had finished his after-dinner work and joined 
his brethren at the "Wash House," which was the Chinatown 
of that day. The boys had received instructions on their 
various "horns" from Dr. Eggers, a German scholar and 
musician, a member of the House of Hanover, who lived alone 
in a small house, and cultivated the entire block on which the 
Y. M. C. A. building now stands. He had a beautiful orchard 
and raised small fruits. 

My youngest brother, Horace, born September. 1870. 
would be put to bed, in an adjoining room and sleep calmly 
through the evening's practice. 

My brother, John, gave me instruction on an alto horn, and 
we formed an "orchestra" with S. C. Woodruff Eb cornet, 
J. C. Percival Bb cornet, myself Bb alto, S. IM. Pericval, 
tuba and Stella Galliher, my girl friend, who possessed extra- 
ordinary musical talent, at the piano. We worked indefatigably, 
were very ambitious, and rendered selections from "Faust" 
and from operas to an appreciative audience made up of 
mother and baby, and whatever girls and boys happened to 
come in, among this number Mr. Samual L. Crawford of Seattle 
was usually to be found. The concerts began at an early hour 
and the masterpieces were reserved until the "audience" had 
put the baby to bed. No valuable time was lost, however, for 
it was the invariable custom to employ the intermission in 



346 THURSTON COUNTY 

refreshing ourselves from the pantry. On other evenings 
we had "candy puUings, " making molasses candy or -white 
taffy, the boys gave minstrel performances, and vie frequently 
arranged tableaux and charades, one of the favorite tableaux 
being the "Presentation of the Jewels from Eebeeca to 
Rowena, " and always concluding with some girl imperson- 
ating the "Goddess of Liberty." In this tableaux Ada Wood- 
ruff, a clever actress, was especially fine. I think we would 
have considered ourselves disloyal if we had omitted that one. 
Either Miss Gailiher or my brother, John, furnished appro- 
priate music on all occasions. Whatever had been used was 
put away when we finished. There was no confusion or "upset 
house" the next morning. Something of this sort Avas carried 
on in any home where there were children, perhaps oftener 
in our own on account of the piano, although ours was not 
the first one in town. 

Our mothers, in addition to making all of our clothes, 
(ready-made clothing was not dreamed of then, and boys 
wore daintily made clothes as well as girls; my brother's 
"best" shirts were made with rows of hand-made fagoting 
between each tuck) lent a willing hand in the fashioning of 
costumes, boating suits, etc., but we Vv'ere expected to carr> 
out our plans for amusement ourselves, and we Avere a happy, 
contented group, working with painstaking diligence, out 
of school hours, and when the "chores" were attended to, 
perfecting our plans, for the standard Avas high, and na slip- 
shod work was recognized. 

Almost every family employed a Chinaman, three inviting 
substantial meals were well served daily, the cake and cookie 
boxes, the doughnut jar, were never allowed to bcome empty, 
that these staples might always be at hand to "pass around" 
in the evening, or to assist a neighbor in case of need. We did 
not lack for delicacies, or "frilly" things upon occasion, for 
all the women of that da.y were able to achieve wonderful 
results in cookery that would grace the most elaborate func- 
tion today. This, I think, explains the leisure the women of 
that day enjoj^ed, they did not allow themselves to "get 
behind." 

During the summer the evenings Avere spent on the Avater. 
Words fail me to describe the beaut.y of this bay, as I knoAv it, 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 347 

entirely free from piles or obstruction, spanned by the bridge 
from Fourth Street to AVest Olympia, with a pebbly beach 
wherever one might choose to land ; and it was an enrapturing 
sight on a summer's evening, dotted with boats from the 
landing to the falls at Tumwater, with sailboats in the distance 
Avith one of our gorgeous sunsets casting a glow over the water, 
and the sound of music greeting the ear. The boat house and 
float was located at the west end of First Street and owned 
by my uncle, Mr. J. H. Cleale. There were boats of all sizes 
from very large sailboats with a seating capacity of about 
twenty-five, to two of the daintiest racing shells, thirty feet 
in length I have ever seen. The boats were the Whitehall 
pattern, built by my uncle, and most beautifully kept. He 
equipped a small scow with music racks, lighted it with torches, 
for the use of the band. Two boats were reserved, one for 
a girls boat club (Annie Stevens, Jessie Lowe, Belle Evans, 
Fanny Steele, Lizzie Ferry), and one for boys (James Ferry, 
S. M. Percival, S. C. Woodruff, Frank Treen. J. C. Percival"). 
Immediately after dinner young and old strolled down to the 
landing and embarked. Many families owned a boat and it 
was the custom for the entire family to go out for a "row on 
the bay"; the rowing was often drifting, the boats keeping 
near each other, while we sang, or some one recited, as the 
spirit moved us, for we sang whenever we got together, on 
the water, around a camp fire, or in a home. There was no 
"younger set", we enjoyed our elders and they enjoyed us. 
We felt no restraint in their presence and were all happy 
together. So united were we that it was quite the usual cus- 
tom for a youth of eighteen or twenty years to follow men 
like Governor Ferry or Elwood Evans in contributing to the 
pleasure of the evening, and he did it (if called upon) without 
diffidence or hesitation, merel}" a conscientious desire to "do 
his part." Illustrative of the capability of the young "to carry 
the thing through," for some reason, one year there were no 
preparations made for the celebration of the Fourth of July. 
The Band boys set to work, raised the money, almost $1000, 
and the result was a day's program, commencing at 9 a. m. 
which "went off" without a hitch or any delay, and which 
entertained and amused the citizens of the town and all the 
surrounding country. In the "Calathumpian Parade," jMr. 



348 THURSTON COUNTY 

Woodruff as the "Goddess of Liberty" on a pretentions float, 
Avas resplendent in a blonde wig made from large hawser 
rope; the other details of his costnme were as original as the 
wig. (No one was improvident, costnmes and trappings were 
always carefnlly "put away for the next time.") 

Charles B. Hopkins, grandson of the late Col. E. D. Baker, 
was (if I mistake not) Marshall of the Day. The nsnal exer- 
cises took place on the Public Square, the Rev. Mr. letter, 
Chaplain. Every other position throughout the day was filled 
by boys, the eldest of whom could not have been over eighteen 
years of age. S. C. Percival read the "Declaration" and was 
coached in his rendition by the Hon. Elwood Evans. S. C. 
Woodruff, a humorist of no mean order, was Orator of the Day. 
He advanced to the Speaker's stand, with an armful of 
shingles, upon which his "oration" was written. As he 
warmed to his subject he would absent-mindedly (?) bring 
a shingle down upon the table, with such emphasis, that it 
was splintered and when he concluded, he stood ankle-deep 
in kindling wood ; the expression of astonishment and dismay 
which overspread his face whenever this happened was worthy 
()f the "Inimitable Woodruff", as he was called in after 
years. Lest some captious person might imagine that he had 
been disrespectful to the great and glorious day. when the 
laughter and applause had died away, Mr. Woodruff drew a 
neat manuscript from his pocket, and, with great dignity, 
delivered a short but well written address. (In late years 
Mr. Woodruff has found a field for his talent as leader and 
organizer and has succeeded in training and developing the 
poor deficient little ones, vv^hom he has in his care, as no one 
else has been able to do. For several years programs have 
been received of the Christmas week Cantatas and plays 
— usually three days — in which the children at the School for 
Defective Youth, of which Mr. Woodruff is Superintendent, 
have taken part). A "Glee Club" of boys assisted, the water 
sports and boat races were very interesting, performed as they 
were by boj's who had spent a large portion of their lives 
in and on Budd's Inlet. I do not wish to give the impression 
that our elders had no festivities except those they shared with 
the young. The "Merry Bachelors" Club was in existence 
for several years, and their winter club dances were very 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 349 

enjoyable, charming evening parties were given in private 
homes, delightful evening receptions were given by Colonel 
and I\Irs. Ross, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and at New 
Year's and other appropriate days it was the custom to give 
a. large ball. 

S. I\I. Percival (also his brother, John), having attended 
the California Military Academy, in Oakland, Cal., and knov»^- 
ing the salutary effect of military training, organized July IS, 
1S84, the Washington Cadets, a company of boys who were 
not old enough to join the Territorial Militia, and the upper 
floor of the old warehouse, previously mentioned, was used 
as an Armory and drill room. A press notice says, "To be 
a successful leader and instructor of boys is a natural talent 
vrhich is given to very few, and recognizing this fact, and the 
importance of the service done the boys of the city by Captain 
Percival, certain of his friends conceived the idea of present- 
ing him some testimonial of their appreciation of his efforts." 
On the afternoon of September 24, 1885: "The Capitol Guard, 
Capt. J. C. Ten Eyck, escorted the Washington Cadets to the 
Public Square, where the Olympia Cornet Band and a large 
audience w^ere in waiting. Gov. Watson C. Squire, who had 
made a special trip from Seattle to be present, attended by 
Hon. T. M. Reed and Major J. R. Hayden, approached the 
line, and with fitting remarks presented Captain Percival, 
on behalf of the friends of the Company, with a beautiful 
sword and belt." 

The proficiency of the Cadets was such that the Governor 
said that he thought the AVashington Cadets to be the best 
drilled company in the Territory. The same press notice says 
further "on all occasions when a public escort has been re- 
quired, the Washington Cadets have been ready and willing 
to turn out, and have added very much to the public parades 
which have taken place this summer. Especially did the 
Cadets show to advantage on the occasion of the Territorial 
Muster in this city, when they spent two days in Camp with 
the ]\Iilitia, and by their courteous demeanor and soldierly 
bearing, they won the respect of the whole Camp." 

On another occasion a Cadets Ball was given and the 
newspaper of that date records, "At this time the Cadets under 
connnand of Capt. S. M. Percival, First Lieut. Fred Smith, 



SoO THURSTON COUNTY 

Second Lieut. Bates Cavanaiigh, marched into the hall with 
that precision of movement which so marks their drill. Here- 
upon Miss Janet Moore appeared upon the stage, and with 
an appropriate address presented to the Cadets a banner, 
-\vhich the ladies of Olympia had purchased for them. The 
banner is four by six, a solid piece of blue silk. On each side 
there is painted in artistic style, the Coat of Arms of the 
Territory with its legend 'Al-ki' — after a little while. There 
is also pa'inted upon each side the words 'Washingt-^n Cadets'. 
It is a beautiful banner, the finest of its kind in the Territory. 
The roster of the Company is as folloAvs : Harry Cowles, Geo. 
Libby, Horace Percival, W. J. Foster, Harry Crosby, Wood 
Boane, Nathan Wolf, Charles Leighton, James Hayden, Eltney 
Van Epps, Bates Cavanaugh, Robt. Blankenship, Fred Smith, 
Frank Carroll, Willie Young, David Baker, Geo. Doane, Win- 
lock Miller, Arlie Van Epps, Van Woodard, Walter Smith, 
Dave Williams, Pendleton ililler, Henry Kuykendall, Willi? 
Page, Oscar Craig, Geo. Buchanan, Frank Murphy." 

As I have stated, in the early settlement of the Territory, 
the only way of traveling was by canoe or rowboat on the 
v/ater, and on horseback following the "blazed" trail on land. 
Later the trail was widened to a road, but even then a winter 
trip from Puget Sound to the Columbia River was often a 
thrilling experience. In the summer and as many of the winter 
months as possible, the conveyance was the picturesque stage 
coach of story and theater renown — but usually for a longer 
or shorter period in the wdnter the road became so nearly 
impassable that the vehicle known to early settlers as a "dead 
axe" wagon was used. For small parties, or when the booking 
over-ran the seating capacity of the regular stage, an "extra" 
was put on. This was a miniature stage coach which accom- 
modated but six inside passengers and one outside with the 
driver — and a small "boot" not sufficient for large trunks, 
which either followed or preceded the "extra." An important 
feature of the luggage of those days was the large, well filled 
lunch baskets, for there vvas a delightful sense of uncertainty 
about reaching the regular stations. As no guest or member 
of a family ever set out upon a journey without partaking of 
a hot substantial breakfast, served not later than 3:30 o'clock 
a. m., housekeepers will appreciate what the matrons of that 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 351 

day did, in a social way, in "speeding the parting guest." 
The expenses of the trip Vv-ere from $20 to $25 — $15 for the 
stage ride with meals and steamer ticket extra. 

In February, 1871, a party composed of Lizzie P. Ferry 
(;i\Irs. John Leary), Belle T. Evans (Mrs. Samuel Wilkeson), 
Fanny 0. Steele* (Mrs. R. G. O'Brien), Stella Galliher and 
myself, escorted by my father, left Olympia in an "extra" at 
4 o'clock — the regular hour for the departure of the stage. IMy 
father was enroute to San Francisco, and the girlr^, traveling 
in his care, were on their way to enter the Easter term at 
St. Helen's Hall, which had been founded in 1869 at Port- 
land, Ore. The parents of these girls had welcomed the oppor- 
tunity of giving such superior educational advantages to their 
daughters, and I wish it were in my power to properly express 
what the establishment of St. Helen's Hall at that early day, 
meant to the girls of the entire Northwest. That I could pay 
a proper tribute to the character of Mary B. Rodney, for 
twenty years principal of the school. A woman descended 
from a titled family in England, and from Caesar Rodney, 
signer of the "Declaration of Independence," of rare schol- 
astic attainments, of cultured mind and lofty purpose, she 
left an ineffaceable stamp upon a generation of women. 

On the first day of our journey the breakfast and dinner 
stations were reached without mishap ; at the noon stopping 
place we found Mr. R. G. O'Brien, who was Deputy Collector 
of Internal Revenue. He was making the trip on horseback 
and joined our party. About the middle of the afternoon, in 
going over a piece of "corduroy" and "chuck holes" we 
suddenly came to an abrupt standstill with a broken axle. 
Bj' the time a small fir tree had been felled and lashed in place, 
the daylight was fast waning, and we were unable to reach 
McDonald's, where we had intended to pass the night. We 
v'ere hospitably cared for by a Frenchman named Bernier. 
The family spoke English very imperfectly, and doubtless 
were severely taxed to provide accommodation for a party of 
eight on short notice. Mr. O'Brien, ]\Ir. Percival and the 
driver were disposed of in the attic. The Bernier family oc- 
cupied the floor of the living room, and the "best room" where 
the "Lares and Penates" of the household were carefully 
kept, was given to the girls. The second day on arriving at 



'AL-2 THURSTON COUNTY 

Pnmplireys' (Oleqiia) we found Colonel Pardee, Chief Clerk 
to Colonel Ross. He also joined the party and we embarked 
shortly after noon in a small canoe. (I regret that I can not 
give the dimensions, but I have a distinct recollection that we 
were packed in.) Eight persons with a corresponding number 
of umbrellas and hand-bags, as the receptacle then used was 
called, five lunch baskets, besides the Indian who sat at the 
rear end and guided the canoe, made up the cargo and pas- 
senger list on the voyage. All sat "tailor fashion" and thus 
Ave ''shot the rapids" on the Cowlitz Fiver, arriving about 
dusk at Freeport, Avhere we made the acquaintance of Dr. N. 
Ostrander and his family. We were lifted out of the canoe 
so wet and bedraggled, that we must have presented a forlorn 
appearance. (It was never possible to raise an umbrella, as 
it was necessary for the Indian to keep his gaze constantly 
fixed on the boAv of the canoe.) Never shall I forget the 
heart}' welcome given us, the kindly attention lavished on 
us by Dr. Ostrander 's daughters, never will the remembrance 
fade of the sense of peace and satisfaction produced by the 
cheer and comfort of that well ordered home. 

After a refreshing night's sleep Ave left Freeport about 
noon on the "Wenat", AA-hich Avas the smallest and dirtiest 
steniAvheel steamer I haA^e eA^er seen. At j\Ionticello Ave trans- 
ferred to the sternAvheel steamer "Fanny Troupe" reaching 
our destination, St. Helen's Hall, at 9 o'clock on the evening 
of the third day from home, AA^here Ave Avere greeted by our 
t )AAnsAvoman, ]\Iiss Lydia H. Blackler, Avho Avas a teacher of 
literature, langnages, and higher mathematics in the school. 
The return trip in the latter part of June Avas quite a different 
matter, and was made in tAvo days and one night. The con- 
dition of the road at that season of the year permitted staging 
"over the mountains" as far as "Huntingtons" (jMonticello), 
and the big stage coach made the entire trip. The choice 
seats Avere those outside and aboA^e the driver's seat and Avere 
always the first to be booked. The effect of the light and 
shade in the "forest primeval" produced by the lengthening 
tAvilight and rising moon on those rides of a summer evening, 
Avhich Avere extended to midnight, if the distance to the next 
half-Avay house demanded it, made a panorama that could 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 353 

scarcely fail to arouse a sense of the artistic, however dormant 
it might be. 

In January, 1872, I was stricken with illness and my 
mother deemed it best to come to my bedside. She gave my 
oldest brother a vacation from school, and entrusted my baby 
brother to his care. A neighbor kindly came each morning 
to bathe and dress the baby, and the care of the child during 
the day devolved upon "Sam", who was perfectly competent 
to put him to bed. For three and one-half weeks, he was 
faithful to his trust, and my mother's confidence was not mis- 
placed. He taught the baby to walk by the original method 
of lying flat on his back with my father's cane extended at 
full length to the end of which my brother Horace clung, go- 
ing round and round in a circle. His boy friends, with the 
helpfulness which characterized pioneer life, played in the 
street in front of the sitting-room windows, that he might 
not be entirely left out of their sports. On her return he 
XH'oudly delivered his charge to my mother without a "bump" 
or a scratch to report. 

Cold had set in, and roads were nothing but frozen "hum- 
mocks" and deep mud holes coated with ice. However, the 
stage set out with several passengers. Mr. George Coggan, 
the U. S. mail contractor, rode a horse belonging to his wife. 
The horse was a beautiful glossy black creature, but hard 
even when the road was favorable. At the breakfast station 
the stage had to be abandoned and the passengers were obliged 
to mount the horses. My mother was first placed on one of 
the stage horses enveloped in a blanket which was securely 
pinned to protect her from the bitter cold. After a time the 
jarring caused by the heavj^ horse breaking the thin ice and 
plunging violently into the deep holes, became so fatiguing 
that she. was changed to Mrs. Coggan 's horse, which she rode 
the rest of the way. The going was so slow and laborious that 
it was exceedingly trying to the nerves of one who was con- 
sumed with anxiety. When a stretch of road was reached 
which appeared to be a little smoother, mother, being in the 
lead, attempted to go a little faster. This effort came to 
naught, however, for Mr. Coggan soon espied her and shouted 



854 THURSTON COUNTY 

at the top of his voice, "For God's sake, Mrs. Percival, do not 
let that horse trot on this gronnd, he will kill you." 

The night was spent at McDonald's. Pumphrey's Avas 
reached the next day and from there she took a canoe to 
Monticello. From Monticello a steamer was taken to Port- 
land, and in this Avay my mother accomplished what any 
anxious mother would do today in six hours. My mother 
decided to bring me back home for a time to recruit my 
strength. "We left Portland on the California, making month- 
ly or semi-monthly trips to the Sound by way of Victoria, and 
we were detained for five days "bar bound" at Astoria; the 
Captain each day running down to the Columbia River bar 
but owing to a storm raging outside, would be unable to cross 
out and would be compelled to return to Astoria. During 
these five days my life-long friend, Helen F. Parker, (Mrs. 
Herbert IMcMicken), ministered to me devotedly. (Captain 
Parker, with his family, was returning to Olympia after a 
few years' residence in Portland). One of the kindly duties 
she imposed upon herself was to bring me fresh water to 
drink from a spring she had found on shore. Not content 
with describing the beauty of the spring to me, she one day 
came bearing a short, broad board with a replica of the spring 
made with earth, twigs and ferns, the spring represented by a 
tiny tin cup she had bought for the purpose. Then, as now, 
she could find "Sermons in stones; lessons in running brooks, 
and good in everything." 

These incidents are not cited because they were excep- 
tional ones, but they are what might reasonably be expected 
to occur on any winter trip to reach the Columbia River. Now 
and then, alas! some traveller did not reach his journey's 
end — an over-turned canoe — a plunge over a precipice— but — 
these accidents were rare. 

The wonderful skill and dexterity exercised by the In- 
dians who guided and controlled the canoes in that whirling, 
eddying river, was almost marvelous in its way; something 
we shall not see again. The almost human intelligence of the 
stage horses — the thrill and quick response to the command 
of the driver, in a moment of danger — aroused a feeling in 
the human heart akin to respect for such noble animals. 

The Portland Oregonian has lately said : ' ' There is not 
m.uch that savors of romance in the rapid life we now lead. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 355 

"All of the fine veneering of modern civilization has 
failed to restore the wild beauty of the original social struc- 
ture of the State. 

"Modern civilization and its attendant comfort and 
luxuries which came with the railroad, are fully appreciated, 
and none of us, perhaps, wish to return to the old days." 

But we "old settlers" are fortunate in the possession 
of experiences and memories which we would not surrender, 
and which cannot be wrested from us. A positive knowledge 
of that era of brotherly love and universal inclination to 
help each other ; and we experience a shock and sense of loss 
when we hear of the passing of those friends of foi^mer days. 



THE SETTLEMENT OF HAWK'S PRAIRIE 



Mr. George H. Himes, Secretary of the Oregon Historical 
Society, has contributed the following interesting reminis- 
cences : 

"The first family to settle on what is now commonly 
known as Hawk's Prairie, although erroneously so, was Free- 
num W. Tyrrell, who, in 1851, came with his wife and six 
step children to take up a donation claim of 640 acres on the 
southeastern portion of this prairie. The names of the step 
children were Levi, Jonathan Davis, Mary, Rebecca Jane and 
William T. Prince. Two boys were born to them a few years 
later — Judson and Squire. The family remained on this place 
until late in the '60s, when it removed to the Lincoln Creek 
settlement. All the family are now dead except Mrs. Layton 
and William. 

"The next settlers upon Tyrell's (Hawk's) Prairie were as 
follows: Elijah Tyrrell, in the edge of the timber at the ex- 
treme northern end of the prairie ; Mr. Klady and his son 
William, on a place west of the Freeman W. Tyrrell place. 



356 THURSTON COUNTY 

bordering the eastern shore of Long Lake, a little way south 
of the present Union Mills; David Phillips, the grandfather 
of Mrs. H. B. HeElrov, of Olympia, northeast of the Klady 
claim; Henry Fowler, in the extreme western edge of the 
prairie, which would be just north of Union Mills — all taking 
their claims late in 1851 or in the fall of 1852. In the latter 
part of October, 1853, my father, Tyrus Himes, bought the 
improvements of Fowler for fifty dollars, settled upon that 
place November 9th following, and spent the last twenty-five 
years of his life there, and thus became the second permanent 
settler upon that prairie. The original claim was 320 acres, 
and the larger portion of it is now owned by David Fleetwood. 

"Early in November, 1853, C. B. Baker bought the im- 
l)rovements on the David Phillips claim, and with his family 
of a wife and three children — James E., John W., and Leander 
M. — Stayed there until the spring of 1854, when he and his 
family removed to Grand Mound Prairie and secured a claim 
on Scatter Creek, a short distance west of Rochester. The 
surviving members of the Baker family — John W. and Leander 
H. — are now residents of Portland, Oregon, the latter a suc- 
cessful teacher in the public schools. 

"The third family to settle on Tyrell (Hawk's) Prairie was 
that of John W. Hawk. He came from Indiana to Oregon 
across the plains in 1852, first settling in Portland. His wife 
died in December of that year, leaving six children, all boys, 
as follows: Albert, Wilson, William, Frank, Samuel and I\Iel- 
vin. These children were provided with homes among other 
pioneer families until the summer of 1855, when Mr. Hawk 
was married to Mrs. Sarah Stephens Hawks, whose husband 
was drowned near Astoria, February 24, 1854. Soon after 
their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hawks removed to Olympia, and 
in August, 1855, moved to Tyrrell Prairie, locating on the next 
claim east of the Himes (now Fleetwood) place, and gathered 
his children together. 

"Tyrus Himes was born at Troy, Bradford County, Penn- 
sylvania, April 14, 1818, and while living in what was then 
the frontier, and lacking educational advantages was a man 
of marked intelligence and ability and was well known among 
his associates as an exceedingly well posted man regarding 
current events, particularly respecting all phases of farm life. 
He became a warm friend of Owen Bush who told me in later 






TYRUS HIMES MRS. EMIIvINE HIMES 

GEORGE H. HIMES 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 357 

years that whatever he had accomplished in an agricultural 
line — and he has won several gold medals for his exhibits — 
he owed in a great measure to father's advise and instruc- 
tions. 

"On May 1, 1843, Mr. Himes was married to Emilinc 
Holcombe. She was also a native of Bradford County, Penn- 
slyvania, born December 28, 1821, her parents removing 
thither in 1796 from Connecticut. Her earliest ancestors came 
to Massachusetts from Devonshire, England, in 1630. 

"In the spring of 1853 Mr. and Mrs. Himes with their 
family of four children, George H, Helen Z., Judson W. and 
Lestina Z., and four other persons, Joel Risdon and his son, 
Henry, a j^outh of twelve years, Charles R. Fitch and Fred- 
erick Burnett, and the additional family of John Dodge, wife 
and five children, Robert Bruce, Francis Marion, Daniel, 
Samuel Ives and Desdemona, started across the plains to 
Oregon. The two families separated at the immigrant camp 
ground on the Umatilla River, the Dodge family going to 
JMarion County, Willamette Valley, and the Himes family and 
the four persons mentioned went to Puget Sound, via Natchez 
Pass, 25 miles north of Mt. Rainier, in company with a number 
of other families and single men, the total number being 170 — 
the first direct immigration to the Puget Sound basin. Late 
in 1853 Robert Bruce Dodge left the Willamette Valley and 
settled on Mima Prairie ; his parents and the remainder of the 
family soon followed him and settled in the same locality. 

"In October, 1854, Mr. Himes, associated with Joseph 
Benson Roberts, a well-to-do logger, established the first boot 
and shoe shop in Olympia — the first in the State of Wash- 
ington. During the winter of 1854-55, William Wright, a 
saddle and harness-maker, established himself in Olympia — 
the first in that line in Washington. Mr. Himes followed boot 
and shoe-making until 1866, when he retired to his farm for 
the remainder of his life, his death occurring on April 22, 1879. 
In 1884 the widow sold the farm to the present owner and 
removed to Elma, Chehalis County, and spent the remainder 
of her life, her death occurring on October 29, 1898. 

"George H. Himes was born in Pennsylvania, May 18, 
1844. Prior to crossing the plains from Illinois to Puget Sound 
in 1853, he went to school fifteen months. In Thurston Coun- 
ty he went to school three months a year from 1854 to 1859. 



358 THURSTON COUNTY 

On June 10, 1861, he began typesetting on the Washington 
Standard, Olympia, for 3Ir. John jMiller jMurphy, and worked 
in his office most of the time until March 10, 1864, when he 
went to Portland, the trip at that time requiring three days. 
On March 13th, he began setting type on the Oregonian, and 
remained in that office until June 3, 1865. A few weeks later 
he began working in a job printing office, and on October 5, 
1868, went into business for himself, and carried on the job 
printing business until January 1, 1899, when he was asked 
by the Board of Directors of the Oregon Historical Society. 
organized on December 17, 1898, to become the assistant, or 
Field Secretary. In June, 1886, Mr. Himes was elected Secre- 
tary of the Oregon Pioneer Association, and has held that 
position without interruption up to the present time. The 
acquaintance thus gained has given him a great opportunity 
to gather an unusually large fund of information about the 
early pioneers of the Pacific Northwest, and this he has sought 
to improve to the best of his ability. He was married in 
Saiem, Oregon, December 24, 1866, to ^liss Anna F. Riggs. 
and eleven children were born to the union — nine daughters 
and two sons — and five daughters and one son are now living 
in Portland and vicinity, the others having passed away. 

"The second, third and fourth children of i\Ir. and ]\Irs. 
Himes, are as follows : Mrs. Helen Z. Ruddell, born in Stark 
County, Illinois, February 6, 1848, widow of the late William 
II. Ruddell, a pioneer of Thurston County in 1852, and since 
1879 she has lived near Elma, Chehalis County; Judson W. 
Himes, born in Stark County, Illinois, March 9, 1850, learned 
the baking business in Olympia, afterwards took a business 
course in Portland, later on was a cruiser of timber lands for 
the Northern Pacific Railway for a number of years, making 
his home in Elma, later on engaged in the real estate and in- 
surance business, has been an Odd Fellow for many years, has 
served as Town and School Clerk of Elma for several terms 
and holds that position at the present time ; iMrs. Lestina Z. 
Eaton, born in Lafayette, Stark County, Illinois, November 
26, 1852. was married to Nathan Eaton in 1872. He came across 
the plains in 1843, was a volunteer soldier in the Cayuse In- 
dian war of 1847-48 ; mined gold in 1849 in California, settled 
in Thurston County, twelve miles southeast of Olympia, built 
a sawmill there in 1853 — the first mill in Western Washing- 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 359 

ton away from the Sound — cleared up a large farm out of a 
wilderness said to be the best in the county in its day, ren- 
rendered efficient service to the Territory in the Yakima In- 
dian Avar of 1855-56, introduced the first mowing machines 
in the county in 1856, established a photograph gallery at his 
place in 1862, sold his place to Mr. Collins in 1882 and removed 
to Elma the same year and died in 1883. He was the father 
of four children. Mrs. Eaton died at Potlatch at the home of 
her daughter, Mrs. George Simpson, in December, 1906." 



PRIEST POINT PARK 



There is not a spot of greater romantic interest in all 
Thurston County than beautiful Priests' Point Park, with its 
lovely, winding paths and driveway, its noble trees, the bab- 
bling spring of deliciously cold water, and never ending ebb 
and flow of the sapphire waters of dear Puget Sound, coming 
and going over the sands of the bathing beach. Chechacos 
often, in admiring this playground of Olj^mpia, enquire how 
the park became possessed of such a picturesque name, so it 
was considered that a brief history of Priests' Point Park 
might well be included in this volume of Pioneer History. 

In July of the year 1847, before the American settler had 
arrived on Puget Sound, or, at least, on the section of the 
Sound now known as Thurston County, Rev. Pascal Ricard, 
with a party of nine Oblat missionaries, established St. Jo- 
seph's Mission, on the east side of Budd's Inlet, about a mile 
and a half north of Edmund Sylvester's claim. At that time 
the Squaxon Indians were living in numbers along the shores 
of the Sound below the Mission and, indeed, the point of land 
embraced in the Mission holdings was a general gathering place 
for the Western Washington Indians. The woods were full of 
big game, unfrightened by the sound of the hunters' firearms, 
wild berries grew in profusion in the more sparsely forested 



360 THURSTON COUNTY 

spots, clams there were for the mere turning over of the sands 
of the beach at low tide, and along- the shining length and 
breadth of Puget Sound there was no more prolific fishing 
waters than those that washed the shores in front of the 
Mission. 

Here the good Fathers found a waiting field of labor. 
Schools and classes were organized among the natives, who 
took readily to the teachings of the priests. Land was cleared 
for vegetable and flower beds, fruit trees were planted, a 
building for a school room and for holding services was built 
and before long there were a considerable number of young 
Indian boj-s enrolled as students in the classes. 

It is a matter of history that the savage mind most readily 
grasps that religion that is presented them by symbols and 
pageantry. The black-robed Fathers, with their kindly words, 
ready sympathy and helpfulness won the confidence and re- 
spect of the Indians to such an extent that even in later times, 
when the white settlers were trembling and afraid for their 
lives from the Indian attacks, the priests of St. Josephs' Mis- 
sion lived in security and friendliness with the natives. 

So intimate were the relations between the priests and 
the Indians that the former were frequently enabled to give 
warning to the settlers of danger from contemplated raids of 
the Indians in time for them to flee to the safety of the stock- 
ade at Olympia. Several of the pioneers of the early 50 's can 
recall Father Blanchard, who was at that time at the head 
of the Mission, having taken Rev. Ricard's place when that 
Father moved on to establish other Catholic Missions. Father 
Blanchard and his associates had a school of about forty young 
Indians, who were taught the white man's ways, and to be- 
come good Catholics. The classes were held in the main 
building, which stood for many years after the mission was 
abandoned, on the ground now occupied for a private garden. 
Dark and gloomy were the rooms, with windows high up in 
the walls, so high that the light came through but dimly. The 
attention of the young students were not distracted by gazing 
out, and in the event of enmity arising between the priests and 
the Indians there was no opportunity for a bullet to find its 
mark by aiming through the window. The benches on which 
the students were seated were the work of their own hands, 




IvEOPOLD SCHMIDT 



whose Generosity Has Done Much for Priest 
Point Park 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 361 

under the training of the priests, and was the start of the 
manual training- classes or departments now so common in our 
schools. 

One pioneer woman, who as a young girl, lived on a hoihe- 
stead in the neighborhood, recalls visiting the Mission while 
school was in session and seeing the dusky young students por- 
ing over their lessons. This lady also tells about the natives' 
love for singing. The priests taught them the chants of their 
services to their great delight. Sometimes, she said, an In- 
dian would be picking berries back in the underbrush. He 
would begin to sing or chant, another voice would take up 
the refrain in another part of the woods and then another and 
another until the strain would reach the fishermen out on the 
waters, and the clam diggers along the beach, who would join 
their voices in swelling the volume of sound until the woods 
and shore would ring with the wild melody. 

As a means of raising funds, the Fathers had a number 
of their most promising Indian lads organized into a band 
with a drum and a fife as the principal instruments. Summer 
evenings this band would be marched up to the settlement and 
paraded along the streets, discoursing their music on the 
corners. The cap would then be passed and contributions 
were freely given the j^oungsters. The ladies of Olympia, in 
order to encourage the lads, made them caps of bright red 
cloth. These caps were the delight of the members of the 
band and were always worn when the boys came up to town. 

On one occasion the Father, who had special training of a 
class of Indian boys, marched them up to the public school 
for the purpose of giving an exhibition of their attainments. 
There were perhaps a dozen boys in the class, ranging from 
fifteen years down to a little fellow of only about three years of 
age. The boys had been carefully instructed to answer cer- 
tain questions which the priest put to them. For instance: 
"Who is President of the United States?" was asked the first 
lad. Parrotlike came the answer, "Abraham Lincoln," and 
so on down the line, each boy answering the question he had 
been taught. When the priest reached the little felloAV at the 
foot of the class, he said: "Where were you born, Rain-in-the- 
Face?" Without an instant's pause, the mite chirped: "I 



362 THURSTON COUNTY 

was born in a canoe when my mother had gone to dig clams. 
Where, I know not." 

After the Indian war and the various tribes had been sent 
to the reservations, the Squaxons were put on the island down 
the Sound that now bears the name of that tribe, and the 
Fathers found their field of usefulness destroyed at the St. 
Joseph's Mission and it was abandoned, the land passing into 
possession of private holders. 

When the year 1893 arrived, the acres of this former mis- 
sion, which is now comprised in Priest Point Park, had been 
allowed to become delinquent or subject to county sale for the 
payment of unpaid taxes, and became public property through 
foreclosure. 

Theodore Brown, always loyal to his native city, conceived 
the idea of Olympia acquiring it for a park. He started the 
sentiment and agitation for city possession hy writing an ar- 
ticle which was published in the Olympia papers, which urged 
that steps for possession of the land be taken before private 
parties could get hold of it. 

By his writings and talking among his friends Mr. Brown 
worked up such a strong sentiment in favor of his pet project 
that a number of citizens went before the Board of County 
Commissioners to urge that board to defer selling the land un- 
til the city was in a position to buy it for a public park. 

Among these men were Theodore Brown, T. J. Kegley, 
Ellas Payne and others. They presented the case through At- 
torney P. ]\I. Troy, whom they secured as spokesman. Oppo- 
sition developed to the project, partly through political reasons 
and partly because a syndicate of speculators had organized 
and cast covetous eyes upon this beautiful tract. 

The Board of County Commissioners turned a deaf ear to 
the plea of the citizens and advertised the tract for sale, but 
before the sale could be consummated an election occurred and 
a new set of officials were elected. Among these officials was 
Mr. P. M. Troy, city attorney. Steps were immediately taken 
to block the advertised sale by instituting an action in the 
Federal Court to restrain the sale by representing that the 
city wished to acquire the land for a public park. Mr. Troy's 
efforts were successful and in May, of 1906, the city became 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 363 

possessors of the property. But the people of Olympia should 
remember that Theodore L. Brown was the first man who con- 
ceived the idea of obtaining the park and agitated the same 
until the city finally secured it. It may be truly said that 
Theodore L. Brown was the father of beautiful Priest Point 
Park. 

The man who has done more than any one other man for 
the park by his generous gifts has been the late Leopold 
Schmidt. It was through his munificence that the Swiss chalet 
which crowns the highest point in the park was placed there. 
This picturesque building was originally erected for the dis- 
play of the Olympia Brewery products at the Lewis and Clark 
Exposition in Portland, Oregon. At the closing of the expo- 
sition Mr. Schmidt presented the chalet to the city of Olym- 
pia and at his own expense had it brought from Portland and 
set up where it has since remained one of the most attrac- 
tive and convenient features of the park. 

When Mr. Schmidt's will was read a few days after his 
death it was found that he had added a bequest of $1,000 for 
the benefit of Priest Point Park. 

Leopold Schmidt was a native of Germany, coming to the 
United States when about twenty years of age. In America 
he led a varied and generally successful life, engaging in 
shipping on the Great Lakes for a couple of years. Later he 
learned the carpenters' trade and assisted in building the 
first Turnverin hall of the Turner Athletic Society in the 
United States. This was in Washington, Missouri, where the 
young man learned his trade. 

A few years later Mr. Schmidt went to Montana where he 
followed his trade in Butte and Deer Lodge for several years. 
In Butte he entered into a partnership with Daniel Gamer 
and helped form the partnership of Schmidt & Gamer, of 
the Centennial Brewery Company. He then went to Germany 
for the purpose of entering a brewers' school and while there 
met the lady who was to be his future wife, the marriage 
taking place before his return to America. Upon his return 
Mr. Schmidt Avas County Commissioner of Silver Bow County, 
Montana, and was final arbitrator in settling the conflict over 
the townsite of Butte, which was contested by several mining 
claims. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention 



364 THURSTON COUNTY 

of Montana, as delegate from Silver Bow County. He was 
also iu the first State Legislatures from that county as a 
member of the House. Mr. Schmidt was a member of the 
Capitol Commission of Montana and came to Olympia in 1894 
to inspect the Capitol foundation. At this visit he became 
interested in the possibilities of Tumwater water-power and 
decided to remove to this State. 

In the spring of 1896 Mr. Schmidt started w^ork on the 
brcAvery at Tumwater and by October of that year was turn- 
ing out the finished product. Since then he has established 
the Bellingham Brewery at that city and the Acme Brewery 
at San Francisco, and bought and remodeled the old brewery 
at Salem, Oregon, which later consolidated with the Albany 
Brewery Company. 

Mr. Schmidt, being of an intensely patriotic nature, liber- 
ally assisted any plan or movement for the public good, as 
was testified by his liberal bequest to Priests' Point Park. 



THE JUDICIARY OF THURSTON COUNTY. 

A chapter devoted to the men w^ho have figured in the 
legal history of Thurston County should be included in an 
authentic compilation of pioneer reminiscences, accordingly, the 
following list of Chief Justices of the Supreme Court, who re- 
ceived their appointments in territorial days, are given : 

E. Lander, 0. B. McFadden, C. C. Hewett, B. W. Dennison, 
Wm. L. Hill, Orange Jacobs, J. R. Lewis, Roger S. Green, 
Richard A. Jones. Of the Associate Justices there were : Vic- 
tor Monroe, P. A. Chenoweth, E. C. Fitzhugh, J. E. Wyche, 
C. B. Darwin, J. K. Kennedy, C. S. Wingard, J. P. Hoyt. George 
Turner, L. B. Nash, W. G. Langford, Frank Allyn. 

Later on came the Constitutional Convention, the names 
of the lawyer member of which it may not be inappropriate to 
mention in this connection : 

R. 0. Dunbar, M. M. Godman. Francis Henry, J. P. Hoyt, 
B. L. Sharpstein, R. F. Sturdevant, George Turner, Allen Weir. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 365 

Of the brilliant g'allaxy of legal men who served the territory 
in the early days it is now impossible to give a sketch of every 
one, only individual reference can be given to a few of the earl- 
ier ones. Each was an indispensible unit of the foundation be- 
ing laid in his day of this great commonwealth. 

One of the most prominent of the earlier jurists was Judge 
0. B. McFadden. A former friend of Judge ]\IcFadden's pays 
the following tribute to his memory. "Not every judge is an 
able practitioner and vice versa as was Judge McFadden. No 
doubt his reputation for strictest integrity was an important 
feature of his success with judges and jurors. Judge Mc- 
Fadden 's speech was distinguished by fluency and his de- 
nouncements of witnesses whom he suspected of perjury were 
scathing and effective. While he spent much of his time on 
his farm in Lewis County, Judge McFadden had a comfortable 
home in Oiympia, where he spent most of the winter months." 

Hon. C. C. Hewett was appointed third territorial chief 
justice by President Lincoln, who was a warm personal friend, 
and was distinguished by a high sense of justice, a plain, un- 
assuming manner and a Lincoln-like simplicity, which won for 
him the friendship and esteem of all who knew him. 

As an illustration of force of habit, the following good 
story is told of Judge Hewett, while conducting a case one day : 

The Chinook jargon was so much in use in early days that 
many of the most expressive phrases had become so common 
that they were frequently employed in every day speech. 

On this particular occasion, two attorneys clashed in 
animated dispute over one of the important points of the trial,, 
and in the heat of the moment, voiced some expressions in 
Chinook, not complimentary to each other. Judge Plewett, 
thinking to rebuke the wranglers for their disregard of de- 
corum, laid down the following rule : ' ' Gentlemen of the Bar, 
you will hereafter confine yourself to the English language. 
I don't purpose to permit any more of this cultus wawa in 
court." The judge himself joined in the laugh which followed. 

Elwood Evans was known throughout the territory as a 
man of high literary attainments, he having been a historian 
of note as well as one of the foremost jurists of his day. Judge 
Evans was one of the first attorneys to locate in Oiympia, 
where he resided for many years with his family. When Ta- 



366 THURSTON COUNTY 

coma was on the boom, he went to live there and it was in tlif 
City of Destiny that death came to him. 

Among the conspicuous figures of the Pacific Coast was 
Seluc!us Garfielde. In physique, he was noticeable wherever 
he was seen, and his ability as a lawyer and statesman 
placed him among the prominent men of the Territory. Prob- 
ably the two campaigns when Garfielde was a candidate for 
the office of Delegate in Congress were the most exciting of 
any campaign of Territorial days, and after his election, while 
speaking on the floor of the House, his silvery tongued elo- 
quence was remarked and admired by his colleagues to sueli 
an extent that Garfielde became known as "The Eloquent 
]\rember from the Pacific." While in Congress, Garfielde de- 
livered an address before the Y. M. C. A. on the ''Resources 
and Climate of the Northwest," which attracted so much at- 
tention that Jay Cook, then financial agent for the Northern 
Pacific Company, published it in several of the foreign lan- 
guages for distribution in Europe. 

Of the Judges of the Superi:)r Court of Thurston Comity 
.since Washington became a state, the following biographical 
sketches are given : 

JUDGE MASON IRWIN 

The first Judge of the Superior C(nirt of Thurston County 
was Mason Irwin, who was elected to that honor at the time 
the Territory of Washington was admitted as a State in 1889. 
At that time there were four counties in the district — Thurston. 
Chehalis, Lewis and Mason. Judge Irwin held court in all four 
of these counties, until the Legislature took Thurston out of 
the district and gave that county a separate Judge, J. W. Rob- 
inson, now of Seattle, being appointed by Lieutenant-Governor 
Lawton, who was acting Governor at the time. Governor E. P. 
Ferry was out of the State for some months on account of his 
health. 

Judge Irwin made his home in Lewis County, and has 
been Judge of the Superior Court there for several successive 
terms. 

His first wife was a daughter of Governor Newell, and 
among the Judge's pleasant remembrances are his official visits 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 367 

to the Capitol City to attend court. The first wife died in 
1891 and several years later Judge Irwin remarried and his 
family noAV consists of his wife and six children. In referring 
to his early Olympia experiences, Judge IrAvin said : 

''There is little to be said about my experiences on the 
bench in that county ; they were the usual experiences of a 
judge on the bench. They had an agreeable Bar there at that 
time, and I had many acquaintances in the city and made many 
acquaintances throughout the county, through the jurors 
coming in to attend court." 



MERRITT J. GORDON 

M. J. Gordon was the third Judge of Thurston CountA 
after Washington was admitted to statehood. Upon the 
resignation of Mr. Joe Robinson in the summer of 1892, Gov 
ernor E. P. Ferry appointed INIr. Gordon to fill the vacanc;\ 
thus occasioned. 

At the general election in November, 1892. Judge Gordoi 
was elected by the vote of the people for a four year term 
serving on the bench until January, 1895, when he resigned 
to go on the Supreme Bench of the State. This position ht 
held for the succeeding three years when he was made cor 
poration counsel for the Northern Pacific Company and re 
signed to move to Spokane where he made his home for several 
years. 

Judge Gordon is now senior member of the law firm oi 
Gordon and Easterday of Tacoma. 

He was born in Sherbrooke in the Province of Quebec 
March 17, 1859 ; began the practice of law in Dakota Territory 
in 1880, residing at Aberdeen; was district attorney of that 
district and city attorney of the city; president of the Bai 
Association of the Fifth Judicial District, and member of the 
first State Legislature of South Dakota ; came to Olympia 
Washington, in the spring of 1890. 

THOMAS MILBURNE REED, JR. 

Mr. T. M. Reed, fourth Judge of the Superior Court of 
the State of Washington, was born in Coloma. California, 



368 THURSTON COUNTY 

about the year 1856, coming to Oiympia with his parents at 
an early age. When but 14 years of age, he had graduated 
from the University of California and from there spent five 
years taking the normal course at Princeton College. After 
graduation at the latter institution, Mr. Reed returned for a 
year to take a post-graduate course in the law department. 

He was a junior member of the law firm of Brown, Ten 
Eyke & Reed, in the early '80 's, this firm having offices in a 
building near the site of the old Episcopal Church, Avhere now 
stands the Mitchell Hotel. 

Later Reed moved to Seattle, where he was engaged in a 
successful law practice until the fire of 1889 destroyed his 
library and office furniture. 

In the year of 18S6 Mr. Reed was married to Miss Ida 
I\lcKenny and a few years later returned to Oiympia to make 
his home. 

He was appointed Judge of the Superior Court of Thurston 
County by the late Governor John ]McGrav\' upon the resigna- 
tion of J. W. Robinson from that position. 

At the expiration of his term of office Judge Reed and 
his family went to Nome, Alaska, to make their home. II<' 
is still practicing his profession of law in that place, enjoying 
an extensive practice. Judge Reed was appointed United 
States Commissioner for Alaska and has been City Attorney 
(/f Nome for several years. 

Judge and Mrs. Reed have two children, Irving ]\I. and 
Constance Elizabeth. 



CHARLES HENRY AVER 

Charles Henry Ayer was born in Saybrook, Connecticut, 
April 25, 1862. He studied in the public and private schools 
of the town, and completed the law course in Yale University. 
In 1884 he came to Oiympia, Washington, and entered the law 
office of J. C. McFadden. He later went in business for him- 
self and also formed several different partnerships, being asso- 
ciated for several years with the late T. N. Allen. He served 
one term as county attorney of Thurston County, and one 
term as mayor of Oiympia. In 1896 he was elected superior 
judge of Thurston County, and filled that office at the time of 





CHARLES AVER 
(Deceased.) 




JOHN R. MITCHEI.L 
(incumbent.) 



SUPERIOR JUDGES— PAST AND PRESENT 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 369 

his death March 9, 1898. In 1891 he married Miss Cora Ellis, 
who together with their five children, survives him. 

JUDGE BYRON MILLETT 

Judge Byron Millett was born in 1849. He came to Wis- 
consin when a child, with his parents and was educated at Ra- 
cine College. He was admitted to the practice of law in 1872. 
and located at Columbus, Nebraska. He was elected mayor of 
that thriving little city in 1876. In 1883 he moved to Colo- 
rado, and practiced law at Denver until 1889, then moved to 
Washington. Located at Olympia in the spring of 1890, where 
he has since resided. In the early part of 1898 he was ap- 
pointed Superior Judge of Thurston County by Governor pJohn 
R. Rogers, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Judge 
Chas. H. Ayer. Since locating at Olympia, he has served as 
a member of the City Council of that city, also as Assistant 
State Law Librarian and as a member of the State Board of 
Law Examiners. 

OLIVER V. LINN 

The able attorney, Avho for six years occupied the position 
of judge of the districts comprised by Thurston and Mason 
Counties — Oliver V. Linn, came to Washington from his boy- 
hood home in Pennsylvania in the year 1889. After spending 
a short time on Grays Harbor, he removed to Olympia, where 
he made his home continuously until the time of his death 
in 1908. 

0. V. Linn received his education at Wilmington, and was 
admitted to the bar shortly before coming to the West. LTpon 
his settling in Olympia he formed a law partnership with Joe 
M. Robinson, contiuing the successful practise of his profession 
until the year 1900, when he was elected Judge of the Superior 
Court on the Republican ticket. In 1906 he was re-elected, 
and in 1908 was an active candidate for nomination to the 
Supreme bench under the direct primary law. His death, how- 
ever, occurred in the fall of the same year, valvular heart 
trouble being the cause of his death. His Avife, ]\Iargaret, and 
one son, Donald, comprised liis immediate family. 



870 THURSTON COUNTY 

Judge Linn was an honorable, genial man, loved by his 
many friends, and respected and honored by his legal associates. 

His widow, Margaret, died in December, 1913, at the 
Linn home, in Olympia. 



JOHN R. MITCHELL 

John E. Mitchell was born in Halifax County, Virginia 
January 31, 1861. From six to seventeen years of age he at 
tended private school. From 1878 to 1888 engaged in farm- 
ing and mercantile pursuits (mostly hunting) at his old home 
the last three years of which he read law under a practicing 
lawyer. Mr. Mitchell came to Olympia, Washington Territory 
April 28, 1888, and formed a partnership with M. A. Root 
at that time Probate Judge. He was admitted to the bar b\ 
the Superior Court (Mason Irwin, Judge) of Thurston County, 
on November 23, 1889. In 1890 the young man studied law at 
the University of Virginia. He dissolved partnership with M 
A. Root in January, 1893, upon his qualifying as Prosecuting 
Attorney. 

Mr. Mitchell was admitted to the bar by the Supreme 
Court, May 24, 1894. He was elected Prosecuting Attorney 
in 1896 and served 1897-9, and in January, 1901, formed a 
law partnership with Thos. M. Vance, Esq., which continued 
until Mitchell was chosen to the bench. Elected Judge of 
the Superior Court for Thurston and Mason Counties in 1908 
for four years and re-elected without opposition, in 1912 — 
the position which he now occupies. In politics he is a democrat. 

J. R. Mitchell was married to Hallie Price, of Clarksville, 
Tenn., on April 22, 1891, while she was on a visit Avith rela- 
tives in Olympia ; to which union one child, Richard S., was 
born May 15, 1894; the son is now a student at the State 
University. 

CHARLES E. CLAYPOOL 

Charles Ethelbert Claypool, at present Judge of Depart 
ment 2 of the Superior Court for Thurston County, was born 
in Indiana in 1861. He came to Puget Sound in the late terri 
torial days, and was one of the prominent younger men in the 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 



3?1 



days of early statehood. He was for many years with the Na 
tional Guard, and served on the personal staffs of the last Ter 
r.itorial and first State Governors, was State Senator from 
Pierce County in the second and third legislatures, Deput\ 
Prosecuting Attorney, and Assistant U. S. Attorney. For a 
long time he was the head of the law firm of Claypool, Gush 
man & Cushman, at Taeoma. He went to Alaska in 1900, re- 
signing his government post for that purpose, returning to 
make his home at Olympia several years ago. Judge Claypool 
served two years and a half as City Attorney of Olympia, re 
signing that office to accept an appointment to the bench b.y 
Governor Lister in 1913. He was opposed by three other as 
pirants at the late primary and did not receive the nomina 
tion. He married an Olympia girl, Miss Annie B. Cowles 
twentj^-four years ago, and they have two children, a son and 
a daughter. The family live in their own home at 1617 Syl 
vester Street. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 373 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE 



Events as recorded successively by the "Columbian" 
(1852-3) ; "Washington Pioneer" (1853-4) ; "Pioneer & Demo- 
crat" (1854-1860); "Washington Standard" (1860-1873). 

1852 

September 11 — The Columbian, a weekly newspaper, com- 
menced publication. 

September 14— Nelson Barnes, Jr., was instantly killed, 
on Newaukum River, by falling of a tree. 

September 23— Brig James Marshall arrived at Olympia, 
thirty days from San Francisco. 

October 23 — Brig G. W. Kendall arrived, seventeen days 
from San Francisco. 

November 6 — A new coal mine was reported discovered 
on the Skookumchuck, by S. S. Ford. Jr. 

November 13 — A call for a meeting of citizens of North- 
ern Oregon was made, to discuss advisability of memorializ- 
ing Congress for Territorial division. 

November 13— M. T. Simmons, S. P. Moses, S. D. Ruddle, 
Adam Wylie, H. A. Goldsborough, Q. A. Brooks, Wm. Plumb 
and C. W. Hale were elected delegates to Monticello con- 
vention. 

November 13 — Brig G. W. Kendall sailed for San Fran- 
cisco with 6,700 feet sawed timber ; 5,000 feet hewed timber ; 
10.000 shingles ; 100 barrels oil. 

November 13 — New saw mill reported in course of erec- 
tion on Nisqually River, seven miles from Steilaeoom. 

November 20 — Columbian announces removal of its of- 
fice to building near ]\Iain and First Streets, in building with 
postoffice and custom house, where the}'' "are entirely above 
high tide and have no use for canoe to navigate around our 
sanctum." 

November 27 — Authorities in Washington consent to es- 



374 THURSTON COUNTY 

tablishment of a mail route from Olympia to Steilacoom, pro- 
viding a contract can be made for $140 annually. 

November 27. — Schooner Franklin sailed for San Fran- 
cisco with 300 barrels salmon, 8650 feet sawed lumber, 14 hogs. 

December 4 — Wm. Dowling opened Columbia Hotel on 
Second Street. 

December 4 — Announces death of infant son of Col. M. 
T. Simmons. 

December 11 — Brig June sailed for San Francisco with 
800 feet piles, 200 barrels salmon, 140,000 shingles, 30 cords 
wood. 

December 11 — Columbian announces fourth week of go- 
ing to press without eastern mail. 

December 18 — Every house between Cowlitz and Olympia 
crowded with emigrant families. 

1853 

January 1 — Edmund Sylvester donated two lots to Ma- 
sonic fraternity. 

January 1 — Columbian announces unconfirmed rumor that 
President Pierce has been elected President. 

January 1 — Also that Oregon Territorial Legislature has 
been in session three weeks, but no authentic information has 
been received at Olympia '^,f its proceedings. 

January 1 — Rev. Beaj. Close assigned by Methodist 
Church to Northern Oregon, takes up residence in Olympia. 

January 1 — A. W. Moore opens public school. 

January 8 — Bark Sarah Warren arrived at Olympia with 
$15,000 worth of merchandise. She was twenty-three days on 
way from San Francisco and brought two passengers, Capt. 
S. W. Percival and wife. 

January 22 — Dr. D. S. Ma3^lard of Seattle, married to 
Mrs. Catherin Broshears, of Thurston County. 

February 26 — Died at Allen's point, six miles below 
Olympia, Berg. F., infant son of Isaac Dofflemyer. 

March 19^ — A tiger Avas caught, weighing over 200 pounds, 
by the "boys" on Mr. Bush's farm, six miles from Olympia. 

March 19 — Wright, Coulter & Co., opened a general mer- 
chandise store. 

iMarch 19 — Large quantities of coal are being hauled from 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 375 

Skookumchuck coal fields for shipment to San Francisco. 

]\Iarcli 19. — J. W. Wiley sold his interest in the Colum- 
bian to J. J. Beebe. 

March 19 — Olympia enjoys first theatrical performance. 
General Jack Rag, celebrated actor and vocalist, gave a grand 
entertainment at Olympia House. Tickets 25 cents ; children 
and "niggers" free. Tickets sold at the bar. 

March 26 — Several new buildings erected. Catholic 
Church completed. 

March 26— J. R. Johnson, M. D., announces opening of a 
hospital at his point, fifteen miles below Olympia. 

April 9 — A bed of oysters discovered, four or five acres 
in extent, on South Bay. 

April 9 — Wm. Dowling, proprietor Columbia house, died. 

April 9 — U. S. District Court opened in Thurston County, 
Judge Strong presiding. 

April 16 — Brig Kingsbury sailed for San Francisco with 
250 piles, 20,000 feet sawed lumber, 30 cords wood. 

April 16 — Methodist Church erected. 

April 23 — Thirty families en route to Thurston County, 
reported between Olympia and the Cowlitz. 

April 23 — One hundred guns fired by Olympia light ar- 
tillery in honor of the new Territory, Washington, first estab- 
lished by act of Congress. 

May 7 — First drayage business established in Olympia by 
Post Master A. W. Moore. 

May 21 — Conrad Snyder establishes a brickyard in 
Olympia. 

May 28 — General merchandise firm of Wright, Coulter & 
Co., dissolved, and establishment continued under name 
Parker, Coulter & Co., John G. Parker being new member. 

June 4 — John Edgar, Whitfield Kirtley, E. J. Allen and 
Geo. Shazer leave for east of the mountains to confer relative 
to a road to Walla Walla. 

June 4 — Married, Jesse Furgeson to Margaret J. Rut- 
ledge, all of Thurston County. 

July 9 — J. Patton Anderson, first U. S. Marshal, arrives, 
and prepares to take census. 

July 9 — Account of celebration of Fourth of July by 
salute at sunrise and usual patriotic program. At a meeting 



376 THURSTON COUNTY 

at the Methodist Church toasts were proposed and responded 
to by prominent citizens. Lieut. Kautz, U. S. A., responded 
to "Army and Navy," and offered "The citizens of Olympia 
— may the}- always have high tides, so that, like clams, they 
may be ever happy." 

July 9 — Died. Eebecca V. Chambers, wife of Andrew J. 
Chambers, aged nineteen years. 

July 16 — Great demand for labor. One hundred laborers 
called for at good wages. 

July 23 — D. C. Beatty commenced manufacture of furni- 
ture in Olympia. 

July 30 — ]\Iarried. at Scatter Creek, Thurston County, on 
the 26th inst., by Vv^m. Plumb, Samuel Coulter to Harriet E. 
Tilley. 

July 30 — Public meeting to discuss plans for betterment 
of mail service. 

August 13 — Olympia markets destitute of flour. 

August 13 — Married. James T. Philips to Junetta Grogan, 
nil of Thurston Count}'. 

August 13 — Died, James II. Yantis, seventeen years of 
age. Also John M. Monroe, aged twenty-three years. 

September 17 — T. F. McElroy disposes of the Columbian 
to Mat. K. Smith. 

September 10 — List of 161 letters published, remaining 
uncalled in postoffice. If not called for within three months 
will be sent to Washington, D. C. 

October 8 — Chief Justice Lander, Secretary Mason and U. 
S. Attorney Clendenin arrive in Olympia. Reported that Gov- 
ernor Stevens had arrived in White River valley en route to 
Olympia. 

November 12 — Married, in Washington County, Oregon, 
Wm. Billings, of Olympia, to Mary Angeline Miller. 

Also at Olympia, Benj. Gordon to Julia Ann IMcCullough, 
all of this county. 

November 19 — Died, on Chambers' Prairie. Eliza Jane 
Hicks, aged twenty-one years. 

November 26 — Census completed. Thurston County re- 
turns 996, Pierce 513, the Territory 3965. 

December 3 — The Columbian becomes the "Washington 
Pioneer," J. W. Wiley, publisher. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 377 

Died, at Olympia, Nov. 21, of consumption, Mrs. Sarah 
Cornell, aged twenty-four years, 

December 10 — -A. M. Berry associated with J. W. Wiley 
in publication of Washington Pioneer. 

December 2-4 — Capt. McClellan, Lieut. Donalson, Lieut. 
Duncan, Messrs. Winter, Moffitt, Bixby, Giddings,- and Suck- 
ley, all attached to Gov. Stevens' exploration party, arrive in 
Olympia. 

1854 

January 21 — Governor Stevens contracts for several build- 
ings to be built on Main Street, Olympia, for public offices 
and headquarters for Northern Railway exploring party. 

^Married, A. J. Moses to Miss Sarah J. Head, both of 
Olympia. 

Married, at New Market, A. B. Rabbeson to Miss Lucy 
Barnes. 

]\larried, Andrew J. Chambers to Margaret White, 

February -l — Pioneer and Democrat announces "six weeks 
without a mail from the East, and three without one even from 
Oregon." 

February 25 — Seal of the Territory designed by a member 
of the Northern Railway exploring, offered for adoption. 
(This design was afterward adopted. It represented a sheet 
of water being traversed by a steamer and sailing vessel, with 
a Goddess of Hope, with an anchor, pointing to the Chinook 
word "Alki"). 

At the election just held in the Territory — ^the first — 
Thurston County cast 171 votes more than any other county. 

Married, S. Nelson AVoodruff to Samantha Packwood, 
eldest daughter of Wm. Packwood. 

Announces dedication of the Methodist Church, which 
took place March 19, Rev. J. F. DeVore, pastor. 

February 25 — First Territorial Legislature meets (Mon- 
day, Feb. 27) . 

March 25 — Victor ]Monroe delivers an address advocating 
prohibition, 

April 8 — First Legislative ball given, under supervision 
of Wm. Cock, of the Pacific Hotel, where the event took place. 

April 15 — A. J. and N. P. Miller commence erection of a 



378 THURSTON COUNTY 

steam s^w mill at North Olympia, two miles below town, ''the 
largest lumbering establishment on the Sound." 

April 29 — Married, by Chief Justice Lander, John G. 
Parker to Jerusha Hays. 

Died, Mrs. Angeline White, wife of John M. White. 

May 13 — Bernard Cornelius, graduate of Trinity College, 
Dublin, establishes a classical, mathematical, commercial and 
training school in Olympia. 

Married, G. W. Allen to Hester Packwood, daughter of 
Wm. Packwood. 

May 20 — Bishop Scott and Rev. D. McCarthy announce 
first Episcopal Church meeting for Sunday, 28th inst. 

May 27— Married, C. G. Saylor to Matilda J. Sargent. 

Died, Geo. W. Guthrie, on Chambers' Prairie. 

June 10 — Postoffice established on Ground Mound, L. D. 
Durgin, postmaster. 

July 1 — The first Sunday school opened in Olympia under 
superintendence of Rev. G. F. Whitworth, in the Hall of Repre- 
sentatives. 

May 13 — Announces drowning of G. N. jMcConaha and 
Capt. Barstow, which occurred May 4th, while making pas- 
sage in a canoe between Vashon Island and Alki. ]Mr. Mc- 
Conaha was returning home from Olympia, where he has pre- 
sided as President of the first Legislative Council. 

July 8 — Henry Cock, Dr. Kanby and Judge Roundtree 
start for Yakima to x^i'ospect for gold. Reported that $3 to 
$5 per day to the hand has been obtained. 

July 15 — Firm of Bettman & Brand dissolve. Mr. Bett- 
man was third one to open business in Olympia, and now be- 
comes associated with his brother in same. 

August 5 — Commence pile driving for a dock to deep 
water. 

August 19 — First class in vocal music organized, under 
Mrs. M. A. Hamm, who "as a teacher of sacred music has few 
superiors living." 

Messrs. Ensign, Blankenship and Kirtley return from a 
prospecting tour in Cascade JMountains. Convinced gold ex- 
ists there but doubt its presence in paying quantities. They 
reported favorable progress on the immigrant road over the 
mountains. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES a79 

September 2 — Tiimwater flouring mill commences opera- 
tion, under management of Ward & Hays. 

Silas Gallagher arrives, being first accession to the popu- 
lation of Olympia from the Atlantic states that summer. 

September 16 — Messrs. Giddings and Seration arrive at 
Olympia, four days from San Francisco, breaking record for 
time to that date. 

Death of A. M. Berry, senior proprietor of the Pioneer 
and Democrat announced. He died in New Hampshire of 
smallpox. He had gone East to make contract for printing 
the laws and journals for the Territory. 

October 15 — Contract let for bridge across bay to eastside. 

Edmund Sylvester returns from East, where he went to 
be married, accompanied by Mrs. T. F. McElroy and Mrs. A. 
J. Baldwin, a sister of Mrs. Sylvester. 

October 21 — ^Married, Francis Marion Rhodes and ^lary 
Ann jMounts, all of Thurston County. 

Died, Miss Jane Thomson. 

December 9 — Second Legislative Assembly convened (Dec. 
4). at old Masonic Temple. 

1855 

February 3 — Legislature adjourned, after locating capital 
at Olympia, penitentiary at Fort Vancouver, and University 
at Seattle, with a branch on Boisfort Plains, Lewis County. 

Married, Urban E. Hicks, County Auditor, to India Ann 
Hartsock. 

February 24 — iMarried, by Edward Lander, Henry Rader, 
of Bellingham, to Miss Elizabeth Austin. 

Drowned, crossing Skookumchuck, George Watson 
Stevens. He was a kinsman and private secretary to Gov. 
Stevens. 

March 24 — ]Major Tilton, Survej'or-General. arrived at 
Olympia. 

J. Patton Anderson resigned as U. S. i\Iarshal. 

April 21 — On Gravelly Prairie, by Rev. G. F. Whitworth, 
A. Benton Moses to Sarah Jane, daughter of B. F. Yantis. 

Married, Geo. W. Corliss to Lucretia R. Judson. 

]May 12 — Democratic Territorial convention met in Olj^m- 
pia and nominated J. Patton Anderson for Congress. 



380 THURSTON COUNTY 

Wm. Hicks committed suicide by drowning in the bay 
just below town. The first recorded act of self destruction. 
Insanity, caused by too close application to study of spirit 
rapping. 

May 26— W. W. Miller appointed Clerk of the District 
Court for the Second District. 

June 13 — Married, Jas. K. Hurd to Eliza A. Woodward. 

Died, Rachel Henrietta, wife of John D. Biles, near 
Vancouver. 

August 17- — Meeting held at Washington Hotel to fix 
standard value of various silver coins in circulation. 

October 5 — Married, Butler P. Anderson to lone Head. 

October 12 — Married, Joseph Bunting to Miss M. A. E. 
McAllister. 

Died, Nathaniel Alden. son of Wm. and IMary Angeline 
Billings. Also Mary Angeline Billings, wife of Wm. Billings, 
twenty-six years of age. 

October 19 — Call by Acting Governor for two companies 
of mounted volunteers. 

October 26 — John G. Parker placed Steamer Traveler on 
route between Olympia and Seattle. 

Married, A. J. Baldwin to Miss Mary Pattle. 

November 9 — The Pioneer and Democrat announces as 
reason for having missed an issue of the paper that "the hands 
in the office were either acting as volunteers or were engaged 
in the work of fortifying Olympia." 

Also announces death of James McAllister, A. Benton 
I\Ioses and Joseph Miles, killed by the Indians. 

Married, J. C. Patton to Mary E. Weed, all of Olympia. 

Companies of volunteers for service in the Indian war or- 
ganized at Olympia, Chambers' and Grand Mound Prairies. 

Third session of the Legislative Assembly meets in 
Olympia. 

Married, Wm. Baffleck to Miss Elizabeth Simmons. 

1856 

January 4 — Married, by Rev. G. F. Whitworth, Elwood 
Evans to Miss Elzira Z. Gore. 

January 25 — Governor Stevens returned from the National 
Capitol and is given a hearty reception. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 381 

February 8 — First company of volunteers raised in Thurs- 
ton County under call of Gov. Stevens. Also a company of 
IMounted Rangers. 

April 4— A detachment of twenty men were sent by Gov. 
Stevens to apprehend Indians who had raided Yelm Prairie 
and driven off and killed a large number of head of stock 
belonging to Messrs. Brail, Longmire and Chambers. 

July 4 — -On account of the Indian troubles the National 
holiday was not celebrated. A picnic was held down the bay, 
on the return from which the revenue cutter. Jeft' Davis, ac- 
companied the Steamer Traveler, firing a salute. 

July 18 — Married, Chas. C. Ferry to Mary J. Eussell. 

July 25 — IMarried, by Rev. DeVore, Thomas Rutledge to 
Miss M. L. Shotwell. 

September 5 — T. W. Glascow introduced the first thresh- 
ing machine in Thurston County and advertised it for use. 

September 19 — Died, at Olympia, on the 15th inst., Victor 
Monroe, Associate Justice of the United States Court. He 
was a native of Kentucky and was aged about forty years. 

September 26 — Married, John French to Miss Rebecca 
Littlejohn. 

Also, James Mix to Mary Littlejohn. 

At Miami Prairie, James Laws to Hester Bryan, all of 
Thurston County. 

December 12 — Fourth Legislative Assembly convened on 
the 4th inst. 

Married, Joseph Gibson to Narcissa Jane Henness, both 
of Thurston County. 

December 19 — Married, Wm. Martin to Ann E. Yantis. 

By Rev. G. F. Whitworth, Daniel C. Beatty to Mary Jane 
Thomson. 

1857 

January 2 — Married, Louis D. Barnard to Mary A. 
Parsons. 

James Redpath to P. Catharine Ostrander, daughter of 
Dr. X. Ostrander, occurring December 9. 

January 23 — Reception by Gov. Stevens and wife, at their 
new residence on Capital Hill, attended by citizens of Olympia 



382 THURSTON COUNTY 

and vicinity, the members of the Legislature and officers of 
the U. S. S. Massachusetts. 

March 27 — W. R. Stockend. a farm hand on Tenalquot 
Prairie, killed a panther, six feet, seven inches long, in a fair 
fist and boot fight. The elaborated account in the Pioneer 
and Democrat proves that likely candidates died before the 
Ananias Club was organized. 

May 29 — ^" Colored" Republican convention met in Olym- 
pia and nominated a candidate for Delegate to Congress, after 
adopting a platform affirming that "James Buchanan, as well 
as the Supreme Court, should be abolished as a great humbug 
and that a white man was a good as a negro when behaving." 

May 29— At Swanville, by Rev. G. ¥. Whitworth, Maj. G. 
C. Blankenship to Mrs. Sarah Jane Moses, married. 

June 26 — In San Francisco, Isaac Lightner. an Olympia 
business man, to Miss Dorothea Leseritz. 

July 17 — B. F. Brown, two miles below town, on the west- 
side, commenced the erection of a wharf to deep water at 
that point. 

September 11 — Gov. Fayette McMullen arrived and took 
oath of office. 

^Married, William Wright to Sarah Ellen Littlejohn. 

Contract for carrying mail from San Francisco to Olym- 
pia, let to Pacific Mail S. S. Co. 

Died, G. B. Goudy, former publisher of the Pioneer and 
Democrat, aged twenty-nine years. 

Also Jas. K. Hurd, from injuries received from attack of 
a wild ox. 

Married, Edward Huggins to Elititia Work, sister-in-law 
of Dr. Tolmie. 

December 4 — Fifth Legislative session met (8th inst.). 

1858 

January 29 — Meeting held in Olympia to protest against 
fhe failure of the Pierce County authorities to hang the In- 
dian murderer Leschi, under sentence of death. 

February 19— Married, by Rev. G. F. Whitworth. Jared 
S. Hurd to Anne M. Cock. 

Wm. L. Mitchell, Deputy Sheriff of Thurston Countv, 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 383 

Tinder order from the Supreme Court, proceeded to Steilaeoom 
and on the same day hung Leschi. 

March 19 — Married, David L. Phillips to Sophia Ellen 
Suttlemeirs. 

July 2 — Died, Mrs. Sarah Thomson, aged eighty-two years. 
The mother of Rev. Geo. F. Whitworth. 

July 16— Married, by Rev. G. F. Whitworth, Fayette Mc- 
Mullen, Governor of Washington Territory, to Mary Wood, 
of Olympia. 

September 10 — Married, Rufus Willard to Sarah J. 
Fletchei'. 

October 15 — ^Died, Margaret, wife of William Rutledge, 
aged sixty-six years. 

December 17 — Married, Wm. G. Dunlap to Carrie Cock. 

December 31 — Grand Lodge of Masons for Washington 
Territory organized at Olympia. 

1859 

January 7 — -Meeting held in Olympia to organize a Grand 
Division of the Sons of Temperance. 

February 11 — Married, James R. Wood to Mrs. M. B. 
Pullen. 

Died, Fanny Belle, only daughter of Major James and 
Isabella Tilton. 

April 8 — First earthquake experienced in Thurston 
County, occurred on the 2nd inst. 

April 15 — Married, by Chief Justice McFadden, William 
Mitchell to Martha Johns (13th inst.). 

July 8 — Married, Henry Cock to Maria D. Hall. 

July 22 — Isaac Wood erected a brewery at Fifth and Co- 
lumbia Streets. 

Chas. H. Mason, Secretary of the Territory, died at age 
of twenty-nine. 

October 21 — Fourth Street, from its junction with Main, 
planked. Stumps removed from Main above Fourth. 

November 25 — Died, Mollie, daughter of Selueius and S. 
E. Garfielde. 

On Mound Prairie, J. W. Goodell. 

December 9 — Died, Mary F. Reed, daughter of T. M. and 
E. H. Reed. 



384 THURSTON COUNTY 

Seventh Legislative session convened. 
December 23 — Married, A. B. Gore to Mrs. Vestatia J, 
M. Hyde. 

Dan W. Lowell to Ellen Willard. 

1860 

January 13 — Alert Hook and Ladder Company organized. 
The first organization of the kind in Olympia. 

March 23— Married, M. R. Tilley to Miss R. A. Leonard. 

March 30 — Died, J. W. Wiley, forty years of age. He was 
for several years connected with the Pioneer and Democrat. 

August 10 — Married, Nathaniel Crosby to Cordelia Smith. 

August 17 — Severe electric storm during which three trees 
were struck within city limits. 

Oregon api^les were on the market at twenty-five cents 
per pound. 

August 24 — Contract let for clearing the capitol grounds. 
j\luch local criticism of the Territorial Capital Commission 
for not proceeding to build with $30,000 appropriated by 
Federal Government. 

September 14 — Census just completed shows total popu- 
lation for Thurston County of 1504; value of property, 
$1,529,700. 

Eighth Legislative Assembly convenes and on December 
11 passes bill removing capital to Vancouver, and the peni- 
tentiary from Vancouver to Port Townsend. 

December 28 — Mount Baker in state of eruption, "throw- 
ing off clouds of smoke and steam." 

1861 

January 4 — Married, Chas. Eagan to Kate Wood. Also 
John Chapman to Sarah E. Dofiilemeyer. 

January 25 — Died, Mary Rutledge, wife of Wm. Rut- 
ledge, Sr. 

February 15 — Married, E. N. Sargeut to Lucinda Mounts. 

March 8 — Messrs. DeLacy, Blankenship and Paekwood 
start on trip to explore Nisqually pass, south of Mt. Rainier, 

March 15 — Having been discovered that the bill remov- 
ing capital to Vancouver is defective, having no enacting 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 385 

clause, an editorial battle is commenced between the Pioneer 
and Democrat, and Vancouver Chronicle. 

April 10 — ^larried, Aaron Webster to Miss Yantis. 

April 26 — Married, John M. Murphy to Eliza J. McGuire, 
of Portland. 

May 17 — Acting Governor McGill calls for organization 
of state militia. 

JNIay 24 — Married, Isaac Ellis to Martha A. Connor. 

New administration for Washington Territory announced 
as follows : Governor, W. H. Wallace ; Chief Justice, C. C. 
Hewitt; Receiver of the Land Office, Jos. Cushman; Register, 
A. A. Denny; Secretary, L. J. Turney; Attorney, J. J. Mc- 
Gilvra; Associate Justice, J. E. Wych. 

September 14 — Married, Jos. H. Kellett to Rebecca D. 
Sargent. 

September 21 — Married, Peterfield Turpin to Eunice M. 
Harned. 

October 5 — Chief Justice Hewitt declares law removing 
capital from Olympia to Vancouver null and void. 

December 7 — Ninth Legislative session convened. 

1862 

iMarch 29^C. H. Hale confirmed as Superintendent of Li- 
dian Affairs. 

May 3 — Steamer Eliza Anderson takes up run from Olym- 
pia to Cariboe mines. 

June 21 — Died, at Olympia, W. G. Dunlap. 

September 20 — A theatrical company, presenting "Lu- 
cretia Borgia," "Lady of Lyons," "David Copperfield," "The 
Brigands," etc., appeared for one week in Olympia. 

Married, Henry C. Hale to Fannie E. Knox. 

October 11— Five hundred and twenty-one dollars sub- 
scribed by citizens of Thurston County for relief of federal 
soldiers, and grand ball projected to raise funds for like 
purpose. 

October 18 — Meeting called to take measures for show- 
ing proper respect to memory of Isaac I. Stevens. 

1863 

January 10 — B. F. Kendall, editor of the Overland Press, 



386 THURSTON COUNTY 

died on 7th inst., from effect of a pistol shot fired by Horace 
Howe. Kendall was thirty-four years of age and a graduate 
of Bowdoin College. 

June 20— Died, at Walla Walla, May 31st, wife of Wm. 
Cock, aged forty-nine years. 

June 27 — Died, Rev. Richard J. Evans, aged twenty-eight 
years. At the time of his death j\Ir. Evans was pastor of the 
Presbyterian Church, from March 13, 1860, to time of his death. 

July 11 — Married, McLain Chambers to Esther Packwood. 

July 25 — Died, at Victoria, July 18th, G. Warbass, of 
Olympia. 

August 1 — Mount Baker reported in state of eruption. 

September 26 — Married. D. B. Ward to Belle Byles. 

October 3 — Died, Levi Offutt, aged forty-five years. 

November 14 — Married. T. J. Axtell to Eliza M. Brown. 
Bride dressed in red. white and blue. 

November 28 — Born, to the wife of Robt. Frost, a daugh- 
ter (24th inst.). Also to the wife of A. B. Young, a son. 

December 26 — At Tumwater (Dec. 23), Clanrick Crosby, 
Jr., to Martha B. Ward. 

1864 

February 27— Married, W. H. Ruddell to Helen Z. Himes, 
on the 21st inst. 

April 16 — Died (April 10), Geo. N. Scott, aged twenty- 
four years. 

July 9 — At Tumwater (July 3) Geo. W. Biles to Louise 
Crosby. 

October 1 — Married, Geo. W. Simmons to Virginia H. Cal- 
houn; also Christopher C. Simmons to Amantha Kennedy. 

December 24 — Married, Stephen L. Ruddell to Amanda 
J Packwood. 

1865 

March 4 — Married, James Scott to Electra Rutledge. 
July 1 — Died, Mary Frances, daughter of Levi and Chris- 
tiana Shelton, aged nineteen years. 

July 29 — Schuyler Colfax addressed the people of Olympia. 
August 19 — News of the loss of the Brother Jonathan 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 387 

reached Olympia, Dr. A. G. Henry, Surveyor-General of the 
Territory, was lost on this steamer. 

Married, A. J. Burr of Olympia to Mrs. M. Woodrutf, 
of Tumwater. 

September 30 — Committee appointed to receive and pro- 
vide for women arriving on Continental from New England. 

1866 

January 6 — Married, John Shelton to Angeline Ford. 

Also, Wm. P. Wright to Maria L. Willard. 

February 3 — Died, at the age of sixty, Samuel James. 

March 17 — New flouring mill erected by C. Crosby, at 
Tumwater, is completed. 

March 31 — Columbia Engine Company No. 1, is organized. 

April 7 — Married, Dudlej' Barnes to Harriet L. Eastman. 

April 14 — Married, Columbus White to May Clark. 

May 19 — Died, at Tumwater, Mary Crosby, aged fifty- 
eight years, relict of late Capt. Nathaniel Crosby, a pioneer of 
the county. 

July 21 — The Pixley family gave their first performance 
in Olympia. Annie Pixley, at this time fourteen years of age, 
gained a national reputation as an actress. Her mother, at 
this time, opened a millinery shop on Washington Street, be- 
tween Third and Fourth. 

August 4 — Died, near Tumwater, John Scate, aged sev- 
enty-six years. 

September 8 — Married, at Victoria. Jacob Waldrick to 
Lueretia Eaton, all of Thurston County. 

November 17 — U. S. C. S. Brig Fauntleroy, Captain Law- 
son, and J. J. Gilbert, arrive to survey coast of upper Sound. 

December 22 — ]\Iarried, James Brewer to Mary E. Byrd. 

Died, G. K. Willard, fifty-eight years of age. 

1867 

January 12 — Gov. Cole arrived in Olympia and succeeded 
Gov. Pickering. 

January 19 — Died, W. H. Waterman, Superintendent of 
Indian Affairs, aged fifty-eight years. 

Also, Christiana, wife of Levi Shelton, fifty-one years of 
age. 



388 THURSTON COUNTY 

January 26 — Married, at IMontesano, John R. James to 
Mary C. Scammons. 

February 23 — Died, B. S. Cornell, in his sixty-ninth year. 

March 2— Married, B. F. Ruth to Mrs. Vail, all of Thurs- 
ton County. 

May 4 — Died, at Turawater, Ebenger Eastman, forty-five 
years old. 

June 29 — ]\Iarried, J. D. Spirlock to Cordelia Rickard. 

July 27 — Married, Thos. M. Reed to Eliza C. Giddings 
(21st inst.). 

November 23 — Married, Amos Brown to Annie M. Peebles. 

November 23 — The first circus to appear in Olympia, per- 
formed on the southwest corner of Main and Fourth Streets. 

Died, Col. M. T. Simmons (on the 15th inst.). Col. Sim- 
mons was one of the original settlers in Thurston County. 

1868 

July 18 — Died. Mrs. Gabriel Jones. She was seventy years 
of age and came West in 1844. 

October 3 — The Echo, a weekly paper, organ of the I. 0. 
G. T., commences publication. 

October 10 — Married, Park Winans of Walla Walla, to 
Lida Moore, of Olympia (on the 6th inst.). 

November 21 — Married, on the 15th inst., Thos. M. Cham- 
bers to Annie E. S. Grainger. 

Died, on the 14th inst., ]Mary A., wife of Wm. Billings, 
aged twenty-seven. 

1869 

January 2 — Married, Frederick Prosch to Helen M. Elder. 

At the same time and place, H. M. Elder to Miss C. A. 
Ruddle. 

January 9 — Capt. D. B. Finch presents to Olympia Lodge 
of Good Templars, the Olympic building, southwest corner 
Fourth and Columbia Streets, on condition that the lodge 
maintain a free reading room. 

I. Lightner and G. Rosenthal, pioneer merchants, form a 
partnership. 

January 16 — Died, R. W. IMoxlie, a pioneer, for whom 
Moxlie Creek was named. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 389 

March 13 — Died, on Mound Prairie, Rev. Chas. Biles, a 
pioneer of 1853. 

April 3 — Two velocipedes appear upon the streets of 
Olympia. One a two-wheel affair and the other a three-wheel, 
the latter of home construction. 

April 17 — Died, Isaac Wood, a pioneer of 1851. ]\Ir. Wood 
was the first brewer in Thurston County, his brewery being 
located at Fourth and Columbia Streets. 

The ■Marsh ville (Westside) bridge, is completed. 

July 10— Died, James A. Watson. He had been connected 
with the press of the Sound since 1861. 

George Francis Train lectured in Olympia. 

July 17 — Tumwater bridge completed. 

July 24 — Secretary of State William H. Seward addressed 
the people of Olympia. 

August 7 — Married. (Aug. 3), Albert A. Phillips to Miss 
Nellie Gillispie, of Whidby Island. 

September 18 — Married, David Longmier to Elizabeth 
Pollard. 

November 20 — Town hall dedicated with dance, Friday 
evening, Nov. 26. (This hall was destroyed by fire, June 4. 
1914). 

November 27 — JMarried, W. W. Miller to Mary M. IMc- 
Fadden, in Lewis County. 

December 25 — G. A. Barnes commenced the erection of 
the first brick building, which still stands on ]\Iain Street. 
between Third and Fourth. In this building the first bank in 
the Territory was started. 

1870 

February 27 — Marshall F. Moore, Governor of the Terri- 
tory, dies at Olympia. 

June 25 — Married, J. B. Biles to Julia Burkett. 

August 13 — First installment of Gov. Salomon's immigra- 
tion arrive. It comprised forty families of over 100 persons. 

August 27 — Gen. Hazard Stevens and P. B. Van Trump 
return after making first ascent made of Mount Rainier, al- 
though Captain F. W. Ferrell claimed to have ascended it in 
October 1847, in company with John Edgar, and a French- 
man and Indian, names unknown. 



390 THURSTON COUNTY 

September 17 — Census completed. Olympia 1203 ; Thiirs- 
tou County 2246. 

October 15 — Olj^mpia infested with band of incendiaries, 
and a vigilance committee is organized. 

October 22 — Married, C. M. Bradshaw to Florence Holmes. 

December 4 — Died, Mrs. C. H. Hale, aged 52 years. 

1871 

January 21 — An association of Pioneers formed. All citi- 
zens eligible whose residence date back to 1860. 

May 20— Died, Mrs. L. D. Durgin. 

Also, Eliza C, wife of T. M. Reed. 

November 18 — Woman's Suffrage Association for Thurs- 
ton County formed. 

December 30 — Puget Sound Courier commenced publica- 
tion as political organ of the Federal office holders. 

Olympia receives formal notice of acceptance by Northern 
Pacific Railroad of land subsidy and location of termini at 
OJympia. 

1872 

January 20 — Died, John Law, aged seventy-four (Nov. 
V2, 1871), an emigrant of 1852. 

January 27 — First Unitarian Sunday school organized. 

February 3 — Married. J. W. Brazee to Minnie Biles. 

i\Iarch 2 — Died, Jos. Cushman, an early pioneer. 

May 18— Married (^May 12th) J. J. Gilbert to Fannie A. 
Yantis. 

June 22 — I\Iarried, L. P. Venen to Emma Clark. 

Died, on Bush Prairie. Tallitha Kindred. 

August 17— Married, C. II. Hale to Mrs. P. C. Case. 

Charles Vivian, father of the Order of Elks, made his 
first appearance in Olympia. 

September 21 — Piers laid for building now Recorder office. 

October 26 — Public reception tendered Judge McFadden 
on his return home during his campaign for Congress. 

November 2 — Married, W. E. Boone to Mercie Slocum 
(Oct. 30). 

November 9 — Married (Nov. 6) Wm. Billings to Jeanette 
M. Ballentine. 



PIONEER REMINISCENCES 391 

Died, H. R. Woodard, a pioneer of 1852. 

Judge McFadden's election to Congress is celebrated by 
his townsmen in Olympia. 

Olympia experienced the hardest earthquake that has 
ever occurred here. 

November 30 — ^Married, J. ]M. Lammon to Mary Hallett. 

December 21 — Married. Nathan Eaton to Lestina Himes. 




i92 THURSTON COUNTY 



EARLY FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS. 



The first lodge of Free and Accepted Masons to be in- 
stituted north of the Columbia River was organized in Olympia, 
December 11, 1852. The names of the petitioners were: Thorn- 
ton F. McElroy, James W. Wiley, i\Iichael T. Simmons, Nicholis 
Delin, Smith Hays, Ira Ward and A. K. Skidmore, under dis- 
pensation granted by M. N. Berry man Jennings, Grand Master 
of the Grand Lodge of the Territory of Oregon and was 
known as No. 5, under the Oregon jurisdiction. This lodge 
exists today under title of Olympia Lodge No. 1, under juris- 
diction of the Grand Lodge of Washington. 

The first meeting of this organization was held Saturday 
evening, Dec. 11, 1852. The lodge was opened with T. F. Mc- 
Elroy as Worshipful ]Master ; J. W. Wiley, Senior Warden and 
M. T. Simmons, Junior Warden. 

The second meeting of the Lodge was held December 18. 
1852. At this meeting a petition for the degrees was received 
for the degrees from B. F. Yantis, one of the earliest and most 
respected pioneers of the Territory. At a subsequnt meeting. 
B. F. Yantis was the first to receive the three degrees in this 
lodge. B. F. Shaw, of Vancouver, having received the pre- 
ceding degrees, received the Master Mason's degree the same 
evening as ]Mr. Yantis. 

Olympia Lodge was chartered by the Grand Lodge of 
Oregon, June 15, 1853 and was numbered 5. Upon the organ- 
ization of the Grand Lodge of Washington, December 8, 1858, 
Olympia Lodge became No. 1 under the new jurisdiction. 

Another pioneer fraternal societv is Olvmpia Lodge No. 1, 
1. 0. 0. F. 

This lodge was organized under a charter dated April 10. 
1855, by the Supreme Lodge I. 0. 0. F. of the United States 
The following were named on the charter list : C. C. Hewitt, 
J. L. Head, James C. Head, Daniel Kiser, Cyril Ward. 



DEDICATION 



It would, perhaps, have been more appropriate to havfe 
dedicated this little volume to the brave and sturdy Thurston 
County Pioneers, whose life stories I have striven to set forth 
in their own language wherever possible, and such, indeed, wa^ 
my intention at the beginning of this work, but as time went 
on and I grew to realize the trials, hardships and privations 
which were the lot of the women who crossed the Old Oregon 
Trail in the middle of the last century, I became more and 
more impressed with the magnificent courage displayed h} 
one who has ever been the guiding star of my life. Surelj 
making this arduous trip not once, but three times, entitles 
her to an honorable place among the pioneers of whatevei 
section. 

She started from a home of comparative wealth and ease 
in Minnesota while still in the freshness of her youth with hei 
husband and two small children, of whom the writer was the 
youngest, arriving in Sacramento, California, after six months 
hard travelling, during which time the family never slept un 
der a roof other than the canvas wagon cover, and endured 
all hardships with an unparalled cheerfulness and fortitude 
ever striving to assist and encourage her husband and to trail, 
her children in the right way. Many an evening the writei 
can recall being tucked into her little bed in the wagon box 
by those kind hands and sinking off to sleep, lulled by the 
monotonous sound of the horses crunching their grain from the 
long feed box on the ground beside the prairie schooner. 

The stay in California was short, barely long enough foi 
the family to recover from the fatigue of the long journey 
and for this modern Cornelia to adei one other gem to hei 
jewel casket, then, becoming satisfied that all the shining gold 
of which this young couple had dreameel, had alreaely beer 
picked up out of the streets by earlier pioneers, they decided 
to retrace their journey as far as the Grande Rounde Valley, 
in Oregon. Here, although the loose gold had also been al- 
ready gathered in, there were plenty of opportunities for gain- 



ing a competence for the thrifty and indnstrions, virtne.s 
which tliese people certainlj' possessed. 

Within a few years prosperity had shed its golden gloAV 
over the adventurers to such a degree that they decided they 
had acquired enough to give them a comfortable start in their 
old home as they were homesick and possessed of an over- 
whelming longing to see once again the friends of their youth 

Bundling the children into the wagons in which the first 
start was made, the long trip back to IMinnesota was under- 
taken. Here the money acquired in the West was invested in 
a farm which proved to be an unfortunate venture, for the 
ground was worn out and exhausted and the know^ledge the 
young people had of all agriculturaal pursuits was purely 
theoretical. The final result was that the money was soon al? 
spent and then the rememberance of the many opportunities 
tliey had left in the Golden West lured them to return. 

Again the family and plunder were loaded in the wagons 
and the return trip along the now familiar trail was started. 
There were four children by this time, and on the way, some- 
where back in Iowa, another baby was born to this heroic 
woman. A lay-by of only a couple of days was all she asked 
before the onward march was resumed. 

At one time, while passing through Utah on the first trip 
vrest, their train was fired upon by the Indians while the emi- 
grants were preparing their evening meal, the miscreants then 
charging down and, with horrid yells and flourishing of 
blankets and robes, endeavored to stampede the horses picketed 
a short distance from the Avagons. The bravery of the men 
in rushing to the rescue was all that prevented this catastrophe. 
In the morning the way led on through a deep ravine with 
rocky walls crowding close by the trail on either side. The 
frightened emigrants were sure they would be fired upon by 
the enemy from the tops of these walls but there was no other 
alternative than to proceed. The women drove the teams 
while the men with their guns over their shoulders, walked 
beside the wagons, guarding their families, their lives and 
their every earthly possession. But they were not further 
molested. 

In remembrance of this grand, courageous and loyai 
Avoman, I lovingly dedicate this book to MY MOTHER. 



CONTENTS 



Page 

Foreword '^ 

Wail of An Old Settler 5 

Historical Sketch 6 

Isaac I. Stevens 56 

Elisha P. Ferry ^5 

Samuel L,. Crawford 67 

D. C. Beatty 81 

Mrs. John G. Parker 95 

John Miller Murphy 107 

The B. Iv. Brown Family 116 

Mount Rainier— Poem 120 

Mrs. Jane W. Pattison 122 

Louis Bettman 132 

Thomas Prather 134 

William Mitchell 142 

Andrew Chambers 147 

Mrs. A.Chambers' Story 164 

Mrs. Jacob Ott 173 

Dr. Alonzo G. Cook 177 

Chas. D. King 180 

William Lemon 182 

L Harris 186 

A. S. Yantis 189 

Gustave Rosenthal 195 

J. H.Sternberg 198 

Robert Frost 201 

D. R. Bigelow 206 

George W. Mills 212 

W. O. Thompson 219 

Dr. N. Ostrander -- 226 

The James Family 229 

Albert A. Phillips 233 

B. W. Johns 237 

Dr. A. H. Steele 241 

Thos. M. Macleay 244 

Judge O. B. McFadden. 246 

The Sylvesters 248 

Gen. W. W. Miller 250 



Page 

C. C. Simmons 252 

H. R. Woodard 255 

Stephen D. Reinhart 258 

A Trip to Steilacoom . 260 

The Crosby Family 267 

B. F. Yantis 272 

Reese A. Brewer 274 

Wm. Billings 275 

R. H. Milroy 278 

John B. Allen 280 

Recollections of a Native Son. 282 

A Reluctant Bridegroom 291 

George D. Shannon 294 

P. M. Troy's Reminiscences. . 296 

Building a Meetin' House 298 

Mrs. John G. Sparks 300 

Early Newspapers 302 

T. M. Reed 306 

Tumwater Reminiscences 309 

David T. Drewry 316 

Bush Family 320 

Capt. S. Willey 325 

E.N.Sargent 326 

P. D. Moore 328 

Capt. S. W. Percival 332 

Settlement of Hawk's Prairie. 355 

Priest Point Park 359 

Judiciary of Thurston County. 364 

Mason Irwin — 366 

M.J. Gordon 367 

T. M. Reed, Jr. 367 

C. H. Ayer 368 

Byron Millett 369 

O.V.Linn 369 

John R. Mitchell 370 

C. E. Claypool 370 

Chronological Table 373 

Fraternal Organizations 392 



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